US20170006438A1 - Processing of message beacons in a wireless device - Google Patents
Processing of message beacons in a wireless device Download PDFInfo
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- US20170006438A1 US20170006438A1 US14/788,007 US201514788007A US2017006438A1 US 20170006438 A1 US20170006438 A1 US 20170006438A1 US 201514788007 A US201514788007 A US 201514788007A US 2017006438 A1 US2017006438 A1 US 2017006438A1
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- Prior art keywords
- transceiver
- signal
- message beacon
- received signal
- wireless device
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
- H04W4/00—Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
- H04W4/12—Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
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- H04W4/008—
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
- H04W4/00—Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
- H04W4/80—Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
- H04W84/00—Network topologies
- H04W84/18—Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
- H04W84/22—Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks with access to wired networks
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
- H04W88/00—Devices specially adapted for wireless communication networks, e.g. terminals, base stations or access point devices
- H04W88/02—Terminal devices
- H04W88/06—Terminal devices adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
Definitions
- aspects of this disclosure relate generally to message beacon processing, and more particularly to systems and methods for improving the processing of message beacons in wireless devices.
- the message beacons are increasingly used to wirelessly share information with proximate wireless devices.
- the message beacons may be transmitted by a message beacon device, which may be configured to blanket the surrounding area with message beacons. Once transmitted, the message beacons may be received by any proximate wireless devices that are equipped with the proper transceivers.
- a message beacon may typically contain a small amount of data.
- the message beacon may direct the wireless device toward additional information located on an external device, for example, a server in the Internet, or other proximate devices.
- the additional information may include public service information, advertisements and promotions, location-related data, etc.
- the wireless device relays the received message beacon to the external device using a backhaul transmission.
- the external device may be configured to perform a number of tasks, for example, identifying the wireless device, identifying the message beacon, identifying the additional information indicated by the message beacon, determining whether the user of the wireless device is interested in receiving the additional information, providing the wireless device with the additional information, etc.
- each message beacon may contain a relatively small amount of data, it can direct a wireless device that receives the message beacon to a relatively large amount of data, which the wireless device can access by relaying the message beacon to the external device.
- the present disclosure provides a wireless device.
- the wireless device may comprise, for example, a first transceiver associated with a first radio access technology (RAT), a second transceiver associated with a second RAT, wherein the second transceiver is configured to transmit a message beacon backhaul transmission to an external device, and a connectivity engine configured to select the second transceiver for message beacon backhaul transmission based on policy criteria, wherein the first transceiver is configured to receive a signal, determine whether the received signal is a message beacon signal, and direct the received signal by diverting the received signal to the selected transceiver in response to a determination that the received signal is a message beacon signal.
- RAT radio access technology
- second transceiver is configured to transmit a message beacon backhaul transmission to an external device
- a connectivity engine configured to select the second transceiver for message beacon backhaul transmission based on policy criteria
- the first transceiver is configured to receive a signal, determine whether the received signal is a message beacon signal, and
- the present disclosure provides a method for processing a message beacon.
- the method may comprise, for example, receiving a signal at a first transceiver associated with a first radio access technology RAT, determining whether the received signal is a message beacon signal, selecting a second transceiver associated with a second RAT for message beacon backhaul transmission based on policy criteria, directing the received signal by diverting the received signal to the selected transceiver in response to a determination that the received signal is a message beacon signal, and transmitting a message beacon backhaul transmission to an external device using the selected transceiver.
- the present disclosure provides an apparatus for processing a message beacon.
- the apparatus may comprise, for example, means for receiving a signal associated with a first RAT, means for determining whether the received signal is a message beacon signal, means for selecting a second RAT for message beacon backhaul transmission based on policy criteria, means for directing the received signal by diverting the received signal to the selected transceiver in response to a determination that the received signal is a message beacon signal, and means for transmitting a message beacon backhaul transmission to an external device using the selected RAT.
- the present disclosure provides a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising code, which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform operations for processing a message beacon.
- the non-transitory computer-readable medium may comprise, for example, code for receiving a signal associated with a first RAT, code for determining whether the received signal is a message beacon signal, code for selecting a second RAT for message beacon backhaul transmission based on policy criteria, code for directing the received signal by diverting the received signal to the selected transceiver in response to a determination that the received signal is a message beacon signal, and code for transmitting a message beacon backhaul transmission to an external device using the selected RAT.
- FIG. 1 generally illustrates a wireless communications environment in accordance with an aspect of the disclosure.
- FIG. 2 generally illustrates a prior art wireless device interacting in the wireless communications environment of FIG. 1 .
- FIG. 3 generally illustrates a wireless device interacting in the wireless communications environment of FIG. 1 in accordance with an aspect of the disclosure.
- FIG. 4 generally illustrates examples of wireless devices in accordance with an aspect of the disclosure.
- FIG. 5 generally illustrates a communication device that includes logic configured to perform functionality in accordance with an aspect of the disclosure.
- FIG. 6 generally illustrates a flow diagram for processing a message beacon in accordance with an aspect of the disclosure.
- FIG. 7 generally illustrates a flow diagram for receiving and diverting a message beacon at a first transceiver in accordance with an aspect of the disclosure.
- FIG. 8 generally illustrates a flow diagram for receiving a message beacon receipt and selecting a transceiver for message beacon backhaul transmission at a connectivity engine in accordance with an aspect of the disclosure.
- a wireless device may be mobile or stationary, and may communicate with a radio access network (RAN).
- RAN radio access network
- the term “wireless device” may be referred to interchangeably as an “access terminal” or “AT”, a “wireless device”, a “subscriber device”, a “subscriber terminal”, a “subscriber station”, a “user equipment” or UE, a “user terminal” or UT, a “mobile terminal”, a “mobile station” and variations thereof.
- AT access terminal
- wireless device can communicate with a core network via the RAN, and through the core network the wireless devices can be connected with external networks such as the Internet.
- Wireless devices can be embodied by any of a number of types of devices including but not limited to PC cards, compact flash devices, external or internal modems, wireless or wireline phones or tablets, and so on.
- a communication link through which wireless devices can send signals to the RAN is called an uplink channel (e.g., a reverse traffic channel, a reverse control channel, an access channel, etc.).
- a communication link through which the RAN can send signals to wireless devices is called a downlink or forward link channel (e.g., a paging channel, a control channel, a broadcast channel, a forward traffic channel, etc.).
- a downlink or forward link channel e.g., a paging channel, a control channel, a broadcast channel, a forward traffic channel, etc.
- traffic channel can refer to either an uplink/reverse or downlink/forward traffic channel.
- FIG. 1 illustrates a wireless communications environment 100 in accordance with an aspect of the disclosure.
- the wireless communications environment 100 includes a message beacon device 110 , a plurality of wireless devices 120 , 130 , 140 , and a backhaul network 150 .
- the message beacon device 110 includes a plurality of transceivers.
- the message beacon device 110 includes three different transceivers, each associated with a different radio access technology (RAT).
- RAT radio access technology
- aspects of the disclosure can be implemented in a message beacon device 110 having any number of transceivers associated with any number of RATs.
- each of the three transceivers has a different range.
- the first transceiver has a first range 112 (shown as a solid line)
- the second transceiver has a second range 114 (shown as a dashed line)
- the third transceiver has a third range 116 (shown as a dashed and dotted line).
- the respective ranges of each transceiver may be a function of any number of factors, including, for example, the RAT associated with the transceiver, the power associated with the transmissions of the transceiver, the topography of the wireless communications environment 100 , etc.
- the first transceiver having first range 112 is a Bluetooth transceiver
- the second transceiver having second range 114 is a WiFi transceiver
- the third transceiver having third range 116 is a LTE transceiver.
- the first range 112 may be on the order of approximately ten meters
- the second range 114 may be on the order of approximately thirty meters
- the third range may be on the order of approximately five hundred meters.
- the message beacon device 110 is configured to establish P2P links with wireless devices.
- the P2P links can be established using known techniques.
- the message beacon device 110 can establish a P2P link using the first transceiver, second transceiver, and/or the third transceiver.
- the given wireless device In order for the message beacon device 110 to establish a P2P link with a given wireless device, the given wireless device must be equipped with at least one transceiver that corresponds to one of the transceivers in the message beacon device 110 , and must also be within the range associated of that transceiver.
- the message beacon device 110 may provide public information such as, for example, advertisements, public service information, etc.
- FIG. 1 depicts several wireless devices 120 , 130 , 140 , each of which is within one or more of the ranges 112 , 114 , 116 and equipped with one or more corresponding transceivers. Although each of the wireless devices 120 , 130 , 140 is depicted as a cell phone, it will be understood that the wireless devices 120 , 130 , 140 may be any device that is capable of wireless communication with the message beacon device 110 .
- the wireless device 120 depicted in FIG. 1 is equipped with three different transceivers corresponding to the three different transceivers included in the message beacon device 110 .
- the wireless device 120 is also within each of the respective ranges 112 , 114 , 116 associated with the three different transceivers included in the message beacon device 110 .
- a P2P link can be established between the message beacon device 110 and the wireless device 120 using any of the three different transceivers included in the message beacon device 110 . Accordingly, FIG.
- first P2P link 122 (shown as a solid line) between the message beacon device 110 and wireless device 120 , as well as a second P2P link 124 (shown as a dashed line) and a third P2P link 126 (shown as a dashed and dotted line).
- the wireless device 130 depicted in FIG. 1 is within the second range 114 and third range 116 associated with the second and third transceivers of the message beacon device 110 , respectively.
- the wireless device 140 is not within the first range 112 associated with the first transceiver.
- the message beacon device 110 cannot establish a P2P link between the message beacon device 110 and the wireless device 140 using the first transceiver (regardless of whether the wireless device 140 is in fact equipped with a corresponding transceiver).
- the wireless device 140 is equipped with a transceiver that corresponds to the second transceiver and a transceiver that corresponds to the third transceiver. Accordingly, FIG.
- first P2P link analogous to first P2P link 122 , but does show a second P2P link 134 (shown as a dashed line) between the message beacon device 110 and wireless device 130 as well as a third P2P link 136 (shown as a dashed and dotted line).
- the wireless device 140 is not within wither the first range 112 or the second range 114 . However, the wireless device 140 is within the third range 116 and is equipped with a transceiver corresponding to the third transceiver included in the message beacon device 110 . As a result, the message beacon device 110 can establish a third P2P link 146 (shown as a dashed and dotted line) between the message beacon device 110 and wireless device 140 .
- the backhaul network 150 is configured to wirelessly communicate with each of the wireless devices 120 , 130 , 140 .
- FIG. 1 depicts the backhaul network 150 as a cell tower, it will be understood that a cell tower is not itself a backhaul network and merely represents one of many possible conduits through which the backhaul network 150 can be accessed by the wireless devices 120 , 130 , 140 .
- a third-party wireless device may act as an intermediary between the wireless devices 120 , 130 , 140 and the backhaul network 150 .
- the third-party wireless device may receive a message beacon, send a backhaul transmission, receive data related to the received message beacon, and then forward the received data to one of the wireless devices 120 , 130 , 140 .
- the wireless devices 120 , 130 , 140 are configured to communicate with the backhaul network 150 via any suitable communication protocol using any suitable transceiver.
- Suitable communication protocols may include (but are not limited to) Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) protocols, WiFi protocols, Long Term Evolution (LTE) protocols, etc.
- Suitable transceivers may include (but are not limited to) wireless local area network (WLAN) transceivers, wireless wide area network (WWAN), WiFi transceivers, LTE transceivers, etc.
- the particular transceiver or transceivers used by the wireless devices 120 , 130 , 140 to communicate with the backhaul network 150 may be the same as or different from the transceiver(s) used to receive message beacons from the message beacon device 110 .
- a message beacon is received by one or more of the wireless devices 120 , 130 , 140 .
- the message beacon received by wireless device 120 may include, for example, a message beacon identifier that identifies the signal as a message beacon signal.
- the message beacon may contain a relatively small amount of data, and may include a certain amount of content that can be used immediately by the wireless device 120 . However, that message beacon may also enable wireless device 120 to access specific content from an external device rather than from the message beacon itself.
- the content in the message beacon may be encrypted such that the content is only accessible if decrypted.
- the decryption may be enabled by a beacon service provider and transmitted to the wireless device 120 via secure communications. It may be possible, depending on the device manufacturer, that users may subscribe to one or more beacon services, which may have their own encryption policies and provisioning methodologies. Beacon- or vendor-specific encryption may also apply on the connection to the server, to preserve location or other data associated with the beacon service.
- the wireless device 120 is configured to receive a message beacon from the message beacon device 110 and relay the message beacon to the external device via the backhaul network 150 .
- the external device for example, a server or other suitable device
- the external server may identify specific content associated with the particular message beacon that was received from the message beacon device 110 and relayed by the wireless device 120 .
- the external server may also determine whether to provide the identified content to the wireless device 120 .
- the determination may be based on the preferences associated with a user of the wireless device, for example, an interest in certain types of messages (public service announcements, etc.) or certain types of content (promotional announcements, etc.), or a known affinity for certain message beacon sources (for example, if the message beacon is identified with a favorite vendor, etc.). Some users may indicate a preference for disregarding a large majority of the message beacons that are received, but others may wish to receive as much information as possible. In either case, the additional content may be selectively transmitted to the wireless device 120 by the external server. The transmission may occur via the aforementioned backhaul network 150 , or may be completed via any other suitable means.
- FIG. 2 generally illustrates a prior art wireless device 200 .
- the prior art wireless device 200 may interact with the wireless communications environment 100 of FIG. 1 in the same manner as the wireless devices 120 , 130 , 140 .
- the prior art wireless device 200 may communicate with the message beacon device 110 and the backhaul network 150 .
- the messages that are communicated may include information related to various types of communication (e.g., voice, data, multimedia services, associated control signaling, etc.).
- the prior art wireless device 200 may be variously configured for transmitting and encoding signals (e.g., messages, indications, information, and so on), and, conversely, for receiving and decoding signals (e.g., messages, indications, information, pilots, and so on) in accordance with the first RAT, second RAT, and third RAT.
- the prior art wireless device 200 may also include a central processor 210 for controlling operation of a first-RAT transceiver 231 , a second-RAT transceiver 232 , and a third-RAT transceiver 233 (e.g., directing, modifying, enabling, disabling, etc.).
- the transceivers 231 , 232 , 233 may operate at the direction of or otherwise in conjunction with respective host system functionality, for example, a high-level operating system (HLOS) stored on a memory component (not shown) associated with the central processor 210 .
- HLOS high-level operating system
- the HLOS may be, for example, the Google Android operating system, Apple's iOS, or Microsoft's Windows Phone operating system.
- the prior art wireless device 200 may operate over a communication medium of interest, composed of one or more frequency, time, and/or space communication resources (e.g., encompassing one or more channels across one or more carriers) associated with communication between one or more transmitter/receiver pairs.
- the prior art wireless device 200 , message beacon device 110 and backhaul network 150 may operate according to one or more RATs depending on the network in which they are deployed.
- These networks may include, for example, different variants of Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) networks, Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) networks, Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) networks, Orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA) networks, Single-Carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) networks, and so on.
- CDMA Code Division Multiple Access
- TDMA Time Division Multiple Access
- FDMA Frequency Division Multiple Access
- OFDMA Orthogonal FDMA
- SC-FDMA Single-Carrier FDMA
- WiFi Wireless Local Area Network
- the prior art wireless device 200 includes three transceivers 231 , 232 , 233 , each operating according to respective RATs.
- the transceivers 231 , 232 , 233 are co-located in the prior art wireless device 200 .
- a “transceiver” may include a transmitter circuit, a receiver circuit, or a combination thereof, but need not provide both transmit and receive functionalities in all designs.
- a low functionality receiver circuit may be employed in some designs to reduce costs when providing full communication is not necessary (e.g., a WiFi chip or similar circuitry simply providing low-level sniffing).
- the term “co-located” may refer to one of various arrangements. For example, components that are in the same housing; components that are hosted by the same processor; components that are within a defined distance of one another; and/or components that are connected via an interface (e.g., USB, PCI express, an Ethernet switch) where the interface meets the latency requirements of any required inter-component communication (e.g., message).
- the first-RAT transceiver 231 , second-RAT transceiver 232 , and third-RAT transceiver may provide different functionalities and may be used for different purposes.
- the prior art wireless device 200 may receive a message beacon via any of a plurality of transceivers 231 , 232 , 233 and then relay the message beacon to an external device using any of the plurality of transceivers 231 , 232 , 233 .
- the message beacon is sent from the transceiver at which it is received to the central processor 210 .
- the central processor 210 may notify the user of the prior art wireless device 200 that a message beacon has been received.
- the first-RAT transceiver 231 includes a central processor connection 241 which communicates with the central processor 210 via a first transceiver connection 211 .
- the second-RAT transceiver 232 and third-RAT transceiver 233 each include analogous central processor connections 242 , 243 which communicate with the central processor 210 via a second transceiver connection 212 and a third transceiver connection 213 , respectively.
- the central processor 210 operating in accordance with a high-level operating system (HLOS) stored on an associated memory component (not shown), selects one of the plurality of transceivers 231 , 232 , 233 to relay the message beacon to the backhaul network 150 . Once a transceiver is selected, the central processor 210 sends the message beacon to the selected transceiver via one of the transceiver connections 211 , 212 , 213 . When the selected transceiver receives the message beacon at one of the central processor connections 241 , 242 , 243 , it completes the relay by transmitting the message beacon to the external device (via, for example, the backhaul network 150 depicted in FIG. 1 ).
- HLOS high-level operating system
- the prior art wireless device 200 completes the task of relaying the message beacon, a problem arises when the prior art wireless device 200 receives increasing numbers of message beacons.
- the central processor 210 needs to process each message beacon by, for example, recognizing each received signal as a message beacon, selecting a transceiver for completing the relay, and sending the message beacon to the selected transceiver.
- these tasks require the processor to operate in accordance with the HLOS and/or ‘wake up’ by, for example, shifting from a low-power mode to a high-power mode.
- the task of constantly relaying a large number of message beacons to an external device can significantly impact the performance of the prior art wireless device 200 . Accordingly, new solutions are needed to improve message beacon processing.
- FIG. 3 generally illustrates a wireless device 300 in accordance with an aspect of the disclosure.
- the wireless device 300 may interact with the wireless communications environment 100 of FIG. 1 in substantially the same manner as the wireless devices 120 , 130 , 140 .
- the wireless device 300 may communicate with the message beacon device 110 and the backhaul network 150 .
- the messages that are communicated may include information related to various types of communication (e.g., voice, data, multimedia services, associated control signaling, etc.).
- the wireless device 300 may be variously configured for transmitting and encoding signals (e.g., messages, indications, information, and so on), and, conversely, for receiving and decoding signals (e.g., messages, indications, information, pilots, and so on).
- the wireless device 300 may also include a central processor 310 for controlling operation of a first transceiver 331 , a second transceiver 332 , and a third transceiver 333 (e.g., directing, modifying, enabling, disabling, etc.).
- the transceivers 331 , 332 , 333 may operate at the direction of or otherwise in conjunction with respective host system functionality, for example, a high-level operating system (HLOS) stored on a memory component (not shown) associated with the central processor 310 .
- HLOS high-level operating system
- the transceivers 331 , 332 , 333 may operate in accordance with different RATs, or may be distinguishable in accordance with other characteristics.
- the wireless device 300 may operate over a communication medium of interest, composed of one or more frequency, time, and/or space communication resources (e.g., encompassing one or more channels across one or more carriers) associated with communication between one or more transmitter/receiver pairs.
- the wireless device 300 , message beacon device 110 and backhaul network 150 may operate according to one or more RATs depending on the network in which they are deployed.
- These networks may include, for example, different variants of Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) networks, Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) networks, Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) networks, Orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA) networks, Single-Carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) networks, and so on.
- CDMA Code Division Multiple Access
- TDMA Time Division Multiple Access
- FDMA Frequency Division Multiple Access
- OFDMA Orthogonal FDMA
- SC-FDMA Single-Carrier FDMA
- WiFi Wireless Local Area Network
- the wireless device 300 includes three transceivers 331 , 332 , 333 , each operating according to respective RATs.
- the transceivers 331 , 332 , 333 are co-located in the wireless device 300 .
- Transceivers 331 , 332 , 333 may provide different functionalities and may be used for different purposes.
- the first transceiver 331 may operate in accordance with Bluetooth technology
- the second transceiver 332 may operate in accordance with WiFi technology
- the third transceiver 333 may operate in accordance with Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology.
- LTE Long Term Evolution
- the wireless device 300 may be equipped with any number of transceivers operating in accordance with any number of RATs.
- the transceivers 331 , 332 , 333 may have similar functionality as the transceivers 231 , 232 , 233 depicted in FIG. 2
- the transceivers 331 , 332 , 333 may have additional functionality as set forth in the present disclosure. This additional functionality may be performed using, for example, a processor and memory (not shown) associated with the respective transceiver.
- the wireless device 300 (by contrast to the prior art wireless device 200 ) further includes a connectivity engine 320 .
- the connectivity engine 320 is configured to perform some of the tasks performed by the central processor 210 depicted in FIG. 2 , in particular, controlling operation of transceivers 331 , 332 , 333 (e.g., directing, modifying, enabling, disabling, etc.).
- the connectivity engine 320 is also configured to select a particular transceiver for any given transmission.
- the connectivity engine 320 includes a processor and memory (not shown). However, because the connectivity engine 320 is specially configured for controlling transceiver operations, it can therefore perform these tasks faster and/or more efficiently than the central processor 310 .
- FIG. 3 depicts the connectivity engine 320 as being independent from the transceivers 331 , 332 , 333 , it will be understood that other implementations are possible.
- the connectivity engine 320 may reside on the transceiver and be implemented using the independent processor and memory.
- the connectivity engine 320 may be driven by a hardware state machine.
- the connectivity engine 320 may identify a particular default transceiver for transmission, and may modify its selection on the basis of, for example, the transmission to be performed, the capabilities of each transceiver, the characteristics of the wireless device generally, and/or the characteristics of the surrounding wireless environment.
- the connectivity engine 320 may select a particular transceiver on the basis of the type of signal or amount of data being transmitted, the urgency of the transmission, a quality of service requirement associated with the transmission, the type or quality of links available, the data rate associated with each particular RAT, a consumption cost associated with each particular RAT, an amount of resources available to the wireless device, a particular geographic zone in which the wireless device is located, the time of day, the coexistence impact of a particular transceiver (i.e., interference with other communications using other transceivers), etc.
- the connectivity engine 320 may also be configured to ascertain the characteristics of the surrounding wireless environment by, for example, controlling the transceivers to perform measurements and/or configured to follow control commands received from an external controller (access point, base station, etc.).
- the connectivity engine 320 is specially configured for controlling transceiver operations, it can perform these tasks faster and/or more efficiently than the central processor 310 .
- the wireless device 300 can do so while the central processor 310 remains in a low-power mode, without requiring any operations to be performed in accordance with the HLOS.
- the wireless device 300 operates more efficiently than the prior art wireless device 200 depicted in FIG. 2 .
- the wireless device 300 (by contrast to the prior art wireless device 200 ) further includes a multi-point messaging interface (MPMI) 350 .
- the connectivity engine 320 can use the MPMI 350 to communicate directly with the transceivers 331 , 332 , 333 , with which it is directly coupled.
- the transceivers 331 , 332 , 333 are respectively equipped with MPMI nodes 351 , 352 , 353 , and the connectivity engine 320 is equipped with an MPMI node 354 .
- the connectivity engine 320 can communicate directly with the transceivers 331 , 332 , 333 via the MPMI 350 , it can do so while the central processor 310 remains in a low-power mode, without requiring any operations to be performed by the central processor 310 in accordance with the HLOS.
- the MPMI 350 also enables the respective transceivers 331 , 332 , 333 to communicate with one another directly. Because the transceivers can bypass the central processor 310 when communicating with one another (without requiring the central processor 310 to perform any operations in accordance with the HLOS), the wireless device 300 operates more efficiently than the prior art wireless device 200 depicted in FIG. 2 . By bypassing the central processor 310 and avoiding operations in accordance with the HLOS, speed may be increased and resources may be conserved.
- the MPMI node may include hardware similar to other bus interfaces, but may further include a configuration register in each MPMI node that configures its operation. Configuration may be done by, for example, the central processor 310 .
- the function of the MPMI node in each subsystem is to enable peer to peer communications between any other MPMI node, for the purpose of exchanging control plane messages amongst subsystems.
- a unique aspect of the MPMI 350 is that each MPMI node can operate in a master or slave mode. For example, in a master mode, any of the MPMI nodes 351 - 355 may gain control of the bus as a master to send data, while the others operate in a slave mode to receive data.
- the MPMI node configuration includes a priority setting that enables each MPMI node to determine its priority during the bus arbitration phase (i.e., determining which of the MPMI nodes 351 - 355 is to operate in a master mode). Once another of the MPMI nodes 351 - 355 gains control of the bus, the previous master MPMI node transitions to a slave mode.
- the connectivity engine 320 may be given the highest priority in that its core function is to determine and enable the optimal routing from a transceiver at which a message beacon is received to a transceiver that is selected for backhaul transmission.
- the connectivity engine 320 may also determine the best backhaul connection to engage with Internet connectivity to receive messages or data relevant to the uploaded message beacon.
- the MPMI 350 also connects to the central processor 310 .
- the MPMI 350 may connect via MPMI node 355 .
- the central processor 310 can be bypassed when higher-level processing is unnecessary. However, it will be understood that when one or more tasks does involve higher-level processing, the MPMI 350 can be used for communications between the central processor 310 and one or more of the connectivity engine 320 and/or transceivers 331 , 332 , 333 .
- the central processor 310 may be bypassed relaying a received message beacon to an Internet backhaul, but the return signal from the Internet may be sent directly to the central processor 310 .
- the central processor 310 may configure (via, for example, the MPMI 350 ) the connectivity engine 320 to perform different actions on subsequent message beacons (changing the default backhaul transceiver etc.).
- FIG. 4 illustrates examples of wireless devices in accordance with various aspects of the disclosure.
- wireless device 400 A is illustrated as a calling telephone and wireless device 400 B is illustrated as a touchscreen device (e.g., a smart phone, a tablet computer, etc.).
- an external casing of wireless device 400 A is configured with an antenna 405 A, display 410 A, at least one button 415 A (e.g., a PTT button, a power button, a volume control button, etc.) and a keypad 420 A among other components, as is known in the art.
- button 415 A e.g., a PTT button, a power button, a volume control button, etc.
- an external casing of wireless device 400 B is configured with a touchscreen display 405 B, peripheral buttons 410 B, 415 B, 420 B and 425 B (e.g., a power control button, a volume or vibrate control button, an airplane mode toggle button, etc.), at least one front-panel button 430 B (e.g., a Home button, etc.), among other components, as is known in the art.
- Each of wireless device 400 A and wireless device 400 B includes one or more user interface components through which a user of the wireless device 400 A or wireless device 400 B interacts with the device, for example, button 415 A, touchscreen display 405 B, etc.
- the user of the wireless device 400 A or wireless device 400 B can provide input or instructions to the device via one or more of the user interface components, and the device can provide output or notifications to the user via one or more of the user interface components.
- the wireless device 400 B can include one or more external antennas and/or one or more integrated antennas that are built into the external casing of wireless device 400 B, including but not limited to Wi-Fi antennas, cellular antennas, satellite position system (SPS) antennas (e.g., global positioning system (GPS) antennas), and so on.
- SPS satellite position system
- GPS global positioning system
- the platform 402 can receive and execute software applications, data and/or commands transmitted from a radio access network, internet, and/or remote servers and networks. The platform 402 can also independently execute locally stored applications without RAN interaction.
- the platform 402 can include a transceiver 406 operably coupled to an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) 408 , or other processor, microprocessor, logic circuit, or other data processing device.
- ASIC application specific integrated circuit
- the ASIC 408 or other processor executes the application programming interface (API) 410 layer that interfaces with any resident programs in the memory 412 of the wireless device.
- API application programming interface
- the memory 412 can be comprised of read-only or random-access memory (RAM and ROM), EEPROM, flash cards, or any memory common to computer platforms.
- the platform 402 also can include a local database 414 that can store applications not actively used in memory 412 , as well as other data.
- the local database 414 is typically a flash memory cell, but can be any secondary storage device as known in the art, such as magnetic media, EEPROM, optical media, tape, soft or hard disk, or the like.
- an embodiment of the invention can include a wireless device (e.g., wireless device 400 A, 400 B, etc.) including the ability to perform the functions described herein.
- a wireless device e.g., wireless device 400 A, 400 B, etc.
- the various logic elements can be embodied in discrete elements, software modules executed on a processor or any combination of software and hardware to achieve the functionality disclosed herein.
- ASIC 408 , memory 412 , API 410 and local database 414 may all be used cooperatively to load, store and execute the various functions disclosed herein and thus the logic to perform these functions may be distributed over various elements.
- the functionality could be incorporated into one discrete component. Therefore, the features of the wireless devices 400 A and 400 B in FIG. 4 are to be considered merely illustrative and the invention is not limited to the illustrated features or arrangement.
- the wireless communication between the wireless devices 400 A and/or 400 B and other devices can be based on different technologies, such as CDMA, W-CDMA, time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), GSM, or other protocols that may be used in a wireless communications network or a data communications network.
- CDMA Code Division Multiple Access
- W-CDMA time division multiple access
- FDMA frequency division multiple access
- OFDM Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing
- GSM Global System for Mobile communications
- voice transmission and/or data can be transmitted to the wireless devices from the radio access network using a variety of networks and configurations. Accordingly, the illustrations provided herein are not intended to limit the embodiments of the invention and are merely to aid in the description of aspects of embodiments of the invention.
- FIG. 5 illustrates a communication device 500 that includes logic configured to perform functionality.
- the communication device 500 can correspond to any of the above-noted communication devices, including but not limited to message beacon device 110 , wireless devices 120 , 130 , 140 , wireless device 300 , wireless devices 400 A or 400 B, and so on.
- the communication device 500 includes logic configured to receive and/or transmit information 505 .
- the logic configured to receive and/or transmit information 505 can include a wireless communications interface (e.g., Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 2G, CDMA, W-CDMA, 4G, 5G, LTE, etc.) such as a wireless transceiver and associated hardware (e.g., an RF antenna, a MODEM, a modulator and/or demodulator, etc.).
- a wireless communications interface e.g., Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 2G, CDMA, W-CDMA, 4G, 5G, LTE, etc.
- a wireless transceiver and associated hardware e.g., an RF antenna, a MODEM, a modulator and/or demodulator, etc.
- the logic configured to receive and/or transmit information 505 can correspond to a wired communications interface (e.g., a serial connection, a USB or Firewire connection, an Ethernet connection through which the internet can be accessed, etc.).
- a wired communications interface e.g., a serial connection, a USB or Firewire connection, an Ethernet connection through which the internet can be accessed, etc.
- the communication device 500 corresponds to some type of network-based server (e.g., PDSN, SGSN, GGSN, S-GW, P-GW, MME, HSS, PCRF, etc.)
- the logic configured to receive and/or transmit information 505 can correspond to an Ethernet card, in an example, that connects the network-based server to other communication entities via an Ethernet protocol.
- the logic configured to receive and/or transmit information 505 can include sensory or measurement hardware by which the communication device 500 can monitor its local environment (e.g., an accelerometer, a temperature sensor, a light sensor, an antenna for monitoring local RF signals, etc.).
- the logic configured to receive and/or transmit information 505 can also include software that, when executed, permits the associated hardware of the logic configured to receive and/or transmit information 505 to perform its reception and/or transmission function(s).
- the logic configured to receive and/or transmit information 505 does not correspond to software alone, and the logic configured to receive and/or transmit information 505 relies at least in part upon hardware to achieve its functionality.
- the communication device 500 further includes logic configured to process information 510 .
- the logic configured to process information 510 can include at least a processor.
- Example implementations of the type of processing that can be performed by the logic configured to process information 510 includes but is not limited to performing determinations, establishing connections, making selections between different information options, performing evaluations related to data, interacting with sensors coupled to the communication device 500 to perform measurement operations, converting information from one format to another (e.g., between different protocols such as .wmv to .avi, etc.), and so on.
- the processor included in the logic configured to process information 510 can correspond to a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an ASIC, a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein.
- a general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine.
- a processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.
- the logic configured to process information 510 can also include software that, when executed, permits the associated hardware of the logic configured to process information 510 to perform its processing function(s). However, the logic configured to process information 510 does not correspond to software alone, and the logic configured to process information 510 relies at least in part upon hardware to achieve its functionality.
- the communication device 500 further includes logic configured to store information 515 .
- the logic configured to store information 515 can include at least a non-transitory memory and associated hardware (e.g., a memory controller, etc.).
- the non-transitory memory included in the logic configured to store information 515 can correspond to RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art.
- the logic configured to store information 515 can also include software that, when executed, permits the associated hardware of the logic configured to store information 515 to perform its storage function(s). However, the logic configured to store information 515 does not correspond to software alone, and the logic configured to store information 515 relies at least in part upon hardware to achieve its functionality.
- the communication device 500 further optionally includes logic configured to present information 520 .
- the logic configured to present information 520 can include at least an output device and associated hardware.
- the output device can include a video output device (e.g., a display screen, a port that can carry video information such as USB, HDMI, etc.), an audio output device (e.g., speakers, a port that can carry audio information such as a microphone jack, USB, HDMI, etc.), a vibration device and/or any other device by which information can be formatted for output or actually outputted by a user or operator of the communication device 500 .
- a video output device e.g., a display screen, a port that can carry video information such as USB, HDMI, etc.
- an audio output device e.g., speakers, a port that can carry audio information such as a microphone jack, USB, HDMI, etc.
- a vibration device e.g., a vibration device and/or any other device by which information can be formatted for output or actually outputted
- the logic configured to present information 520 can include the display 410 A of wireless device 400 A or the touchscreen display 405 B of wireless device 400 B.
- the logic configured to present information 520 can be omitted for certain communication devices, such as network communication devices that do not have a local user (e.g., network switches or routers, remote servers, etc.).
- the logic configured to present information 520 can also include software that, when executed, permits the associated hardware of the logic configured to present information 520 to perform its presentation function(s). However, the logic configured to present information 520 does not correspond to software alone, and the logic configured to present information 520 relies at least in part upon hardware to achieve its functionality.
- the communication device 500 further optionally includes logic configured to receive local user input 525 .
- the logic configured to receive local user input 525 can include at least a user input device and associated hardware.
- the user input device can include buttons, a touchscreen display, a keyboard, a camera, an audio input device (e.g., a microphone or a port that can carry audio information such as a microphone jack, etc.), and/or any other device by which information can be received from a user or operator of the communication device 500 .
- the communication device 500 corresponds to wireless device 400 A or wireless device 400 B as shown in FIG.
- the logic configured to receive local user input 525 can include the keypad 420 A, any of the buttons 415 A or 410 B through 425 B, the touchscreen display 405 B, etc.
- the logic configured to receive local user input 525 can be omitted for certain communication devices, such as network communication devices that do not have a local user (e.g., network switches or routers, remote servers, etc.).
- the logic configured to receive local user input 525 can also include software that, when executed, permits the associated hardware of the logic configured to receive local user input 525 to perform its input reception function(s). However, the logic configured to receive local user input 525 does not correspond to software alone, and the logic configured to receive local user input 525 relies at least in part upon hardware to achieve its functionality.
- any software used to facilitate the functionality of the configured logics of 505 through 525 can be stored in the non-transitory memory associated with the logic configured to store information 515 , such that the configured logics of 505 through 525 each performs their functionality (i.e., in this case, software execution) based in part upon the operation of software stored by the logic configured to store information 515 .
- hardware that is directly associated with one of the configured logics can be borrowed or used by other configured logics from time to time.
- the processor of the logic configured to process information 510 can format data into an appropriate format before being transmitted by the logic configured to receive and/or transmit information 505 , such that the logic configured to receive and/or transmit information 505 performs its functionality (i.e., in this case, transmission of data) based in part upon the operation of hardware (i.e., the processor) associated with the logic configured to process information 510 .
- logic configured to as used throughout this disclosure is intended to invoke an embodiment that is at least partially implemented with hardware, and is not intended to map to software-only implementations that are independent of hardware.
- the configured logic or “logic configured to” in the various blocks are not limited to specific logic gates or elements, but generally refer to the ability to perform the functionality described herein (either via hardware or a combination of hardware and software).
- the configured logics or “logic configured to” as illustrated in the various blocks are not necessarily implemented as logic gates or logic elements despite sharing the word “logic.” Other interactions or cooperation between the logic in the various blocks will become clear to one of ordinary skill in the art from a review of the embodiments described below in more detail.
- FIG. 6 generally illustrates a method 600 for processing a message beacon in accordance with an aspect of the disclosure.
- the method 600 may be performed by, for example, the wireless device 300 of FIG. 3 , the wireless device 400 A or wireless device 400 B of FIG. 4 , or the communication device 500 of FIG. 5 .
- the method 600 will be described in further detail as it would be performed by the wireless device 300 of FIG. 3 .
- the wireless device 300 receives a signal at a first transceiver associated with a first RAT.
- the first transceiver is a Bluetooth transceiver that receives signals in accordance with a Bluetooth or Bluetooth Low Energy (BTLE) protocol (sometimes referred to as “Bluetooth Smart”). Because (in this implementation) the wireless device 300 is configured to operate in accordance with the BTLE protocol (and, in this example, proximate to the message beacon device 110 ), the wireless device 300 will receive the message beacon.
- BTLE Bluetooth Low Energy
- the signal reception at 610 may be performed by the radio frequency circuitry (antenna, etc.) included in the first transceiver 331 .
- the first transceiver 331 may include a processor and associated memory component (independent from the central processor 310 and associated memory component) that are configured to perform some of the functions necessary to receive signals.
- the wireless device 300 determines whether the signal received at 610 is a message beacon signal. The wireless device 300 will then determine based on, for example, a beacon identifier field of the received signal, that the signal received at 610 is a message beacon.
- any of the transceivers 331 , 332 , 333 may include an independent processor and memory configured to perform operations relating to the functions of the transceiver. It will be understood that in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure, any of the transceivers 331 , 332 , 333 (or a combination of a processor and memory residing therein) may be further configured to distinguish message beacons from other types of received signals. As a result, the wireless device 300 can distinguish message beacons from other types of received signals while the central processor 310 remains in a low-power mode, without requiring any operations to be performed in accordance with the HLOS. As a result, the wireless device 300 operates more efficiently than the prior art wireless device 200 depicted in FIG. 2 .
- the wireless device 300 selects a second transceiver associated with a second RAT for message beacon backhaul transmission based on policy criteria.
- the connectivity engine 320 selects a particular transceiver from among a plurality of transceivers associated with the wireless device 300 .
- the connectivity engine 320 selects a particular transceiver for all transmissions generally, or for all message beacon backhaul transmissions in particular (in view of respective capabilities of the plurality of transceivers, the characteristics of the wireless device, the characteristics of a surrounding wireless environment, etc.).
- the connectivity engine 320 may determine that a particular transceiver lacks basic backhaul connectivity, as in a case where a WiFi transceiver lacks connectivity because there is no access point available, or because the access point requires a user log-in which has not been entered. As a result, the connectivity engine 320 may divert the message beacon to an LTE transceiver. In yet another possible implementation, the connectivity engine 320 selects a particular transceiver based on some particular characteristic of the message beacon received at 610 (for example, the transceiver that received the message beacon, a preferred transceiver indicated by the message beacon data itself, etc.).
- selection 630 is depicted in FIG. 3 as being performed after the determination of 620 , it will be understood that the selection 630 may also be performed prior to the determination of 620 and/or prior to the reception of 610 .
- the connectivity engine 320 is specially configured for controlling transceiver operations, and can perform the selection 630 faster and/or more efficiently than the central processor 310 .
- the connectivity engine 320 can do so while the central processor 310 remains in a low-power mode, without requiring any operations to be performed in accordance with the HLOS.
- the wireless device 300 operates more efficiently than the prior art wireless device 200 depicted in FIG. 2 .
- the wireless device 300 directs the signal received at 610 by diverting the received signal to the transceiver selected at 630 .
- the diverting at 640 is responsive to the determination (at 620 ) that the received signal is a message beacon signal.
- the diverting may be performed using the MPMI 350 .
- a WLAN transceiver is selected (at 630 ) from among a plurality of transceivers (a WWAN transceiver, a Bluetooth transceiver, etc.). After the WLAN transceiver is selected, the wireless device diverts the message beacon to the WLAN transceiver. As noted above, the MPMI 350 enables the respective transceivers 331 , 332 , 333 to communicate with one another directly. The prior art wireless device 200 , by contrast, would simply forward the received signal (regardless of whether it was a message beacon or not) to the central processor 210 .
- the wireless device 300 operates more efficiently than the prior art wireless device 200 depicted in FIG. 2 .
- the wireless device 300 transmits a message beacon backhaul transmission to an external device using the selected transceiver (of 630 ).
- a BTLE transceiver at which a message beacon is received at 610 diverts the message beacon (at 640 ) to a WLAN transceiver.
- the WLAN transceiver then transmits the message beacon to the external device (for example, an external server for processing message beacons) at 650 .
- the method 600 enables the wireless device 300 to process message beacons without any involvement of the central processor 310 . Because the wireless device can bypass the central processor 310 when processing message beacons (without requiring the central processor 310 to perform any operations in accordance with the HLOS), the wireless device 300 operates more efficiently than the prior art wireless device 200 depicted in FIG. 2 .
- FIG. 7 generally illustrates a method 700 for processing received signals performed by a first transceiver, for example, any of the transceivers 331 , 332 , 333 .
- the method 700 will be described in further detail as it would be performed by the first transceiver 331 depicted in FIG. 3 .
- the method 700 may be performed by particular components of the first transceiver 331 , an independent processor and memory associated with the first transceiver 331 , hardware associated with the first transceiver 331 , and/or a configurable state machine associated with the first transceiver 331 .
- the first transceiver 331 further includes hardware that is configured for processing of a specific beacon format. For example, if the first transceiver 331 is a Bluetooth transceiver, then the hardware may be configured to perform Bluetooth protocol decoding.
- the first transceiver 331 determines whether a signal has been received. The method 700 continuously loops back to the determination 705 until a signal has been received, at which point the method 700 proceeds to 710 . It will be understood that the first transceiver 331 (or a combination of a processor and memory component residing therein) may be configured to perform signal reception in accordance with known methods.
- the first transceiver 331 determines whether the signal received at 705 is a message beacon. As noted above, the first transceiver 331 (or a combination of a processor and memory residing therein) may determine whether the received signal is a message beacon in accordance with any suitable method. Moreover, the first transceiver 331 performs the determination 710 independently without requiring the central processor 310 to perform any operations. In particular, the first transceiver 331 may, for example, read a message beacon identifier field of the received signal and determine, based on the content or existence of the message beacon identifier field, that the received signal is a message beacon.
- a message beacon identifier field may comprise a bit or series of bits that identifies the received signal as a message beacon generally and/or identifies the received signal as a particular message beacon having a unique message beacon identification code.
- the method 700 proceeds to 715 , where the received signal is forwarded to the central processor 310 . After the received signal is forwarded to the central processor 310 at 715 , the method 700 ends, or alternatively, loops back to 705 (not shown).
- the method proceed to 720 .
- the first transceiver 331 sends a message beacon receipt signal to a connectivity engine, for example, connectivity engine 320 .
- the message beacon receipt signal may be sent to the connectivity engine 320 via (for example) the MPMI 350 without requiring the central processor 310 to perform any operations.
- the connectivity engine 320 may be implemented using, for example, a processor and memory component (not shown) that are independent from the central processor 310 of the wireless device 300 .
- the independent processor and memory component of the connectivity engine 320 may not perform operations in accordance with the HLOS.
- the first transceiver 331 includes an MPMI node 351 and can communicate directly with the connectivity engine 320 via the MPMI node 354 of the MPMI 350 . Accordingly, the message beacon receipt sent at 720 may be sent directly from the first transceiver 331 to the connectivity engine 320 without requiring the central processor 310 to perform any operations in accordance with the HLOS.
- the first transceiver 331 waits for a transceiver selection signal, for example, a transceiver selection signal from the connectivity engine 320 .
- a transceiver selection signal for example, a transceiver selection signal from the connectivity engine 320 .
- the connectivity engine 320 will reply to a message beacon receipt signal by sending a transceiver selection signal.
- the connectivity engine 320 includes an MPMI node 354 and can communicate directly with the first transceiver 331 via the MPMI 350 . Accordingly, the transceiver selection signal received at 725 may be received directly from the connectivity engine 320 without requiring the central processor 310 to perform any operations in accordance with the HLOS.
- the method 700 proceeds to 730 .
- the connectivity engine 320 is implemented using the same components as the transceiver that received the message beacon (for example, the first transceiver 331 ). It will be understood that in these scenarios, it will be unnecessary to send the message beacon to the connectivity engine 320 using the MPMI 350 (as in 720 ), and it will also be unnecessary to wait to receive a transceiver selection signal from the connectivity engine (as in 725 ). Accordingly, the sending at 720 and receiving at 725 (both performed using the MPMI 350 ) may be omitted if the connectivity engine 320 and first transceiver 331 are implemented using the same component.
- the first transceiver 331 identifies the selected transceiver based on the transceiver selection signal received at 725 , which may include an indication of the selected transceiver.
- the identity of the selected transceiver may be, for example, encoded in the transceiver selection signal received at 725 .
- the first transceiver 331 diverts the signal received at 705 (which has been determined to be a message beacon at 710 ) to the transceiver identified at 730 .
- the first transceiver 331 includes an MPMI node 351 and can communicate directly with the other transceivers 332 , 333 via the respective MPMI nodes 352 , 353 of the MPMI 350 .
- the diverted message beacon sent at 730 may be sent directly from the first transceiver 331 to the selected transceiver without requiring the central processor 310 to perform any operations in accordance with the HLOS.
- the transceiver selected for backhaul transmission will be the same as the transceiver that has received the message beacon. It will be understood that in these scenarios, the diversion 735 will be omitted, since the message beacon is already available to the transceiver selected for backhaul transmission.
- FIG. 8 generally illustrates a method 800 for processing received signals performed by a connectivity engine such as, for example, the connectivity engine 320 depicted in FIG. 3 .
- the 320 determines whether a message beacon receipt has been received.
- the message beacon receipt signal received at 805 may be analogous to the message beacon receipt signal sent at 720 by the first transceiver 331 .
- the connectivity engine 320 includes an MPMI node 354 and can communicate directly with the transceivers 331 , 332 , 333 via the MPMI 350 . Accordingly, the message beacon receipt received at 805 may be received directly from a transceiver without requiring the central processor 310 to perform any operations in accordance with the HLOS. It will be understood that the connectivity engine 320 may simultaneously monitor each of the transceivers 331 , 332 , 333 for message beacon receipts. The method 800 continuously loops back to the determination 805 until a message beacon receipt has been received, at which point the method 800 proceeds to 810 .
- the connectivity engine 320 selects a transceiver from among the plurality of transceivers 331 , 332 , 333 for performing the message beacon backhaul transmission.
- the connectivity engine 320 is specially configured for controlling transceiver operations, and can perform the selection 810 faster and/or more efficiently than the central processor 310 .
- the connectivity engine 320 can do so while the central processor 310 remains in a low-power mode, without requiring any operations to be performed in accordance with the HLOS.
- the method 800 enables the wireless device 300 to operate more efficiently than the prior art wireless device 200 depicted in FIG. 2 .
- the connectivity engine 320 send a transceiver selection signal to the transceiver from which the message beacon receipt was received.
- the transceiver selection signal sent at 815 may be analogous to the transceiver selection signal received at 725 by the first transceiver 331 .
- the transceiver selection signal identifies a particular transceiver selected to perform the transmission of a message beacon backhaul transmission associated with a received message beacon.
- the connectivity engine 320 includes an MPMI node 354 and can communicate directly with the transceivers 331 , 332 , 333 via the MPMI 350 . Accordingly, the transceiver selection signal sent at 815 may be sent directly to a transceiver without requiring the central processor 310 to perform any operations in accordance with the HLOS.
- the transceiver selection signal sent at 815 may be sent via the MPMI 350 to the transceiver from which the message beacon receipt was received at 805 .
- the transceiver selection signal sent at 815 may also be sent to the selected transceiver, for example, to notify the selected transceiver that it has been selected to receive a diverted message beacon signal via the MPMI 350 and/or command the selected transceiver to perform a message beacon backhaul transmission (via for example, the backhaul network 150 depicted in FIG. 1 ).
- the MPMI 350 may include a common interface that interconnects the connectivity engine 320 and each of the transceivers 331 , 332 , 333 . Accordingly, the signals communicated via the MPMI 350 in accordance with the present disclosure (at 720 , 725 , 735 , 805 , 815 , etc.) may be broadcast to every user of the MPMI 350 .
- the signals communicated via the MPMI 350 may therefore include, in addition to the signal data itself, an indication of the intended recipient (or recipients) of the signal data. It will be understood, however, that other implementations of the MPMI 350 are possible and that the present disclosure is not limited to the common-interface arrangement depicted in FIG. 3 . Additionally or alternatively, the MPMI 350 may provide dedicated connections between the connectivity engine 320 and each of the transceivers 331 , 332 , 333 and/or dedicated connections between each unique pair of transceivers.
- the connectivity engine 320 may be implemented independently from the central processor 310 .
- the connectivity engine 320 may be equipped with an independent processor and memory (not shown) such that the method 800 can be performed without any operations of the central processor 310 .
- the connectivity engine 320 resides within one of the transceivers 331 , 332 , 333 such that the method 800 is performed by the processor and memory associated with the transceiver.
- the method 700 and method 800 may be implemented using a single processor operating in tandem with a single memory.
- the sending and receiving of signals via the MPMI 350 may constitute ‘sending’ and ‘receiving’ only in a conceptual sense.
- data generated when performing the method 700 may be stored in the shared memory for later usage when the shared processor performs the method 800 .
- DSP digital signal processor
- ASIC application specific integrated circuit
- FPGA field programmable gate array
- a general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine.
- a processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.
- a software module may reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art.
- An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor such that the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium.
- the storage medium may be integral to the processor.
- the processor and the storage medium may reside in an ASIC.
- the ASIC may reside in a user terminal (e.g., wireless device).
- the processor and the storage medium may reside as discrete components in a user terminal.
- the functions described may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functions may be stored on or transmitted over as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium.
- Computer-readable media includes both computer storage media and communication media including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another.
- a storage media may be any available media that can be accessed by a computer.
- such computer-readable media can comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer.
- any connection is properly termed a computer-readable medium.
- the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave
- the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of medium.
- Disk and disc includes compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk and blu-ray disc where disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.
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Abstract
Systems and methods are disclosed for improving the processing of message beacons in a wireless device. The method may include receiving a signal at a first transceiver associated with a first radio access technology (RAT), determining whether the received signal is a message beacon signal, selecting a second transceiver associated with a second RAT for message beacon backhaul transmission based on policy criteria, directing the received signal by diverting the received signal to the selected transceiver in response to a determination that the received signal is a message beacon signal, and transmitting a message beacon backhaul transmission to an external device using the selected transceiver.
Description
- Aspects of this disclosure relate generally to message beacon processing, and more particularly to systems and methods for improving the processing of message beacons in wireless devices.
- Message beacons are increasingly used to wirelessly share information with proximate wireless devices. The message beacons may be transmitted by a message beacon device, which may be configured to blanket the surrounding area with message beacons. Once transmitted, the message beacons may be received by any proximate wireless devices that are equipped with the proper transceivers.
- A message beacon may typically contain a small amount of data. However, the message beacon may direct the wireless device toward additional information located on an external device, for example, a server in the Internet, or other proximate devices. The additional information may include public service information, advertisements and promotions, location-related data, etc. In order to access this additional information, the wireless device relays the received message beacon to the external device using a backhaul transmission. The external device may be configured to perform a number of tasks, for example, identifying the wireless device, identifying the message beacon, identifying the additional information indicated by the message beacon, determining whether the user of the wireless device is interested in receiving the additional information, providing the wireless device with the additional information, etc. Although each message beacon may contain a relatively small amount of data, it can direct a wireless device that receives the message beacon to a relatively large amount of data, which the wireless device can access by relaying the message beacon to the external device.
- However, problems will arise as message beacons proliferate. In particular, the resource consumption associated with message beacon processing will increase. Even if the processing associated with a single message beacon is small, there is a possibility that a wireless device will be inundated by message beacons. As a result, the task of constantly relaying a large number of message beacons to an external device can significantly impact the performance of the wireless device. Accordingly, new solutions are needed to improve message beacon processing in wireless devices.
- In one aspect, the present disclosure provides a wireless device. The wireless device may comprise, for example, a first transceiver associated with a first radio access technology (RAT), a second transceiver associated with a second RAT, wherein the second transceiver is configured to transmit a message beacon backhaul transmission to an external device, and a connectivity engine configured to select the second transceiver for message beacon backhaul transmission based on policy criteria, wherein the first transceiver is configured to receive a signal, determine whether the received signal is a message beacon signal, and direct the received signal by diverting the received signal to the selected transceiver in response to a determination that the received signal is a message beacon signal.
- In another aspect, the present disclosure provides a method for processing a message beacon. The method may comprise, for example, receiving a signal at a first transceiver associated with a first radio access technology RAT, determining whether the received signal is a message beacon signal, selecting a second transceiver associated with a second RAT for message beacon backhaul transmission based on policy criteria, directing the received signal by diverting the received signal to the selected transceiver in response to a determination that the received signal is a message beacon signal, and transmitting a message beacon backhaul transmission to an external device using the selected transceiver.
- In yet another aspect, the present disclosure provides an apparatus for processing a message beacon. The apparatus may comprise, for example, means for receiving a signal associated with a first RAT, means for determining whether the received signal is a message beacon signal, means for selecting a second RAT for message beacon backhaul transmission based on policy criteria, means for directing the received signal by diverting the received signal to the selected transceiver in response to a determination that the received signal is a message beacon signal, and means for transmitting a message beacon backhaul transmission to an external device using the selected RAT.
- In yet another aspect, the present disclosure provides a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising code, which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform operations for processing a message beacon. The non-transitory computer-readable medium may comprise, for example, code for receiving a signal associated with a first RAT, code for determining whether the received signal is a message beacon signal, code for selecting a second RAT for message beacon backhaul transmission based on policy criteria, code for directing the received signal by diverting the received signal to the selected transceiver in response to a determination that the received signal is a message beacon signal, and code for transmitting a message beacon backhaul transmission to an external device using the selected RAT.
- A more complete appreciation of embodiments of the invention and many of the attendant advantages thereof will be readily obtained as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings which are presented solely for illustration and not limitation of the invention, and in which:
-
FIG. 1 generally illustrates a wireless communications environment in accordance with an aspect of the disclosure. -
FIG. 2 generally illustrates a prior art wireless device interacting in the wireless communications environment ofFIG. 1 . -
FIG. 3 generally illustrates a wireless device interacting in the wireless communications environment ofFIG. 1 in accordance with an aspect of the disclosure. -
FIG. 4 generally illustrates examples of wireless devices in accordance with an aspect of the disclosure. -
FIG. 5 generally illustrates a communication device that includes logic configured to perform functionality in accordance with an aspect of the disclosure. -
FIG. 6 generally illustrates a flow diagram for processing a message beacon in accordance with an aspect of the disclosure. -
FIG. 7 generally illustrates a flow diagram for receiving and diverting a message beacon at a first transceiver in accordance with an aspect of the disclosure. -
FIG. 8 generally illustrates a flow diagram for receiving a message beacon receipt and selecting a transceiver for message beacon backhaul transmission at a connectivity engine in accordance with an aspect of the disclosure. - Aspects of the invention are disclosed in the following description and related drawings directed to specific embodiments of the invention. Alternate embodiments may be devised without departing from the scope of the invention. Additionally, well-known elements of the invention will not be described in detail or will be omitted so as not to obscure the relevant details of the invention. The words “exemplary” and/or “example” are used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any embodiment described herein as “exemplary” and/or “example” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments Likewise, the term “embodiments of the invention” does not require that all embodiments of the invention include the discussed feature, advantage or mode of operation. Further, many embodiments are described in terms of sequences of actions to be performed by, for example, elements of a computing device. It will be recognized that various actions described herein can be performed by specific circuits (e.g., application specific integrated circuits (ASICs)), by program instructions being executed by one or more processors, or by a combination of both. Additionally, these sequence of actions described herein can be considered to be embodied entirely within any form of computer readable storage medium having stored therein a corresponding set of computer instructions that upon execution would cause an associated processor to perform the functionality described herein. Thus, the various aspects of the invention may be embodied in a number of different forms, all of which have been contemplated to be within the scope of the claimed subject matter. In addition, for each of the embodiments described herein, the corresponding form of any such embodiments may be described herein as, for example, “logic configured to” perform the described action.
- A wireless device may be mobile or stationary, and may communicate with a radio access network (RAN). As used herein, the term “wireless device” may be referred to interchangeably as an “access terminal” or “AT”, a “wireless device”, a “subscriber device”, a “subscriber terminal”, a “subscriber station”, a “user equipment” or UE, a “user terminal” or UT, a “mobile terminal”, a “mobile station” and variations thereof. Generally, wireless devices can communicate with a core network via the RAN, and through the core network the wireless devices can be connected with external networks such as the Internet. Of course, other mechanisms of connecting to the core network and/or the Internet are also possible for the wireless devices, such as over wired access networks, Wi-Fi networks (e.g., based on IEEE 802.11, etc.) and so on. Wireless devices can be embodied by any of a number of types of devices including but not limited to PC cards, compact flash devices, external or internal modems, wireless or wireline phones or tablets, and so on. A communication link through which wireless devices can send signals to the RAN is called an uplink channel (e.g., a reverse traffic channel, a reverse control channel, an access channel, etc.). A communication link through which the RAN can send signals to wireless devices is called a downlink or forward link channel (e.g., a paging channel, a control channel, a broadcast channel, a forward traffic channel, etc.). As used herein the term traffic channel (TCH) can refer to either an uplink/reverse or downlink/forward traffic channel.
-
FIG. 1 illustrates awireless communications environment 100 in accordance with an aspect of the disclosure. Thewireless communications environment 100 includes amessage beacon device 110, a plurality ofwireless devices backhaul network 150. - The
message beacon device 110 includes a plurality of transceivers. In the example illustration ofFIG. 1 , themessage beacon device 110 includes three different transceivers, each associated with a different radio access technology (RAT). However, it will be understood that aspects of the disclosure can be implemented in amessage beacon device 110 having any number of transceivers associated with any number of RATs. - In
FIG. 1 , each of the three transceivers has a different range. The first transceiver has a first range 112 (shown as a solid line), the second transceiver has a second range 114 (shown as a dashed line), and the third transceiver has a third range 116 (shown as a dashed and dotted line). The respective ranges of each transceiver may be a function of any number of factors, including, for example, the RAT associated with the transceiver, the power associated with the transmissions of the transceiver, the topography of thewireless communications environment 100, etc. In one possible implementation, the first transceiver havingfirst range 112 is a Bluetooth transceiver, the second transceiver havingsecond range 114 is a WiFi transceiver, and the third transceiver havingthird range 116 is a LTE transceiver. For example, thefirst range 112 may be on the order of approximately ten meters, thesecond range 114 may be on the order of approximately thirty meters, and the third range may be on the order of approximately five hundred meters. Although each of the three transceivers inFIG. 1 is depicted as having a different range, it will be understood that different transceivers can have equal range. - The
message beacon device 110 is configured to establish P2P links with wireless devices. The P2P links can be established using known techniques. Themessage beacon device 110 can establish a P2P link using the first transceiver, second transceiver, and/or the third transceiver. In order for themessage beacon device 110 to establish a P2P link with a given wireless device, the given wireless device must be equipped with at least one transceiver that corresponds to one of the transceivers in themessage beacon device 110, and must also be within the range associated of that transceiver. Once a P2P link is established, themessage beacon device 110 may provide public information such as, for example, advertisements, public service information, etc. -
FIG. 1 depicts severalwireless devices ranges wireless devices wireless devices message beacon device 110. - The
wireless device 120 depicted inFIG. 1 is equipped with three different transceivers corresponding to the three different transceivers included in themessage beacon device 110. In addition, thewireless device 120 is also within each of therespective ranges message beacon device 110. As a result, a P2P link can be established between themessage beacon device 110 and thewireless device 120 using any of the three different transceivers included in themessage beacon device 110. Accordingly,FIG. 1 shows a first P2P link 122 (shown as a solid line) between themessage beacon device 110 andwireless device 120, as well as a second P2P link 124 (shown as a dashed line) and a third P2P link 126 (shown as a dashed and dotted line). - The
wireless device 130 depicted inFIG. 1 is within thesecond range 114 andthird range 116 associated with the second and third transceivers of themessage beacon device 110, respectively. However, thewireless device 140 is not within thefirst range 112 associated with the first transceiver. As a result, themessage beacon device 110 cannot establish a P2P link between themessage beacon device 110 and thewireless device 140 using the first transceiver (regardless of whether thewireless device 140 is in fact equipped with a corresponding transceiver). However, inFIG. 1 , thewireless device 140 is equipped with a transceiver that corresponds to the second transceiver and a transceiver that corresponds to the third transceiver. Accordingly,FIG. 1 does not show a first P2P link analogous tofirst P2P link 122, but does show a second P2P link 134 (shown as a dashed line) between themessage beacon device 110 andwireless device 130 as well as a third P2P link 136 (shown as a dashed and dotted line). - The
wireless device 140 is not within wither thefirst range 112 or thesecond range 114. However, thewireless device 140 is within thethird range 116 and is equipped with a transceiver corresponding to the third transceiver included in themessage beacon device 110. As a result, themessage beacon device 110 can establish a third P2P link 146 (shown as a dashed and dotted line) between themessage beacon device 110 andwireless device 140. - The
backhaul network 150 is configured to wirelessly communicate with each of thewireless devices FIG. 1 depicts thebackhaul network 150 as a cell tower, it will be understood that a cell tower is not itself a backhaul network and merely represents one of many possible conduits through which thebackhaul network 150 can be accessed by thewireless devices wireless devices backhaul network 150. For example, the third-party wireless device may receive a message beacon, send a backhaul transmission, receive data related to the received message beacon, and then forward the received data to one of thewireless devices - The
wireless devices backhaul network 150 via any suitable communication protocol using any suitable transceiver. Suitable communication protocols may include (but are not limited to) Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) protocols, WiFi protocols, Long Term Evolution (LTE) protocols, etc. Suitable transceivers may include (but are not limited to) wireless local area network (WLAN) transceivers, wireless wide area network (WWAN), WiFi transceivers, LTE transceivers, etc. The particular transceiver or transceivers used by thewireless devices backhaul network 150 may be the same as or different from the transceiver(s) used to receive message beacons from themessage beacon device 110. - In accordance with an aspect of the invention, a message beacon is received by one or more of the
wireless devices wireless device 120, it will be understood that it may involve any (or all) any of thewireless devices wireless device 120 may include, for example, a message beacon identifier that identifies the signal as a message beacon signal. The message beacon may contain a relatively small amount of data, and may include a certain amount of content that can be used immediately by thewireless device 120. However, that message beacon may also enablewireless device 120 to access specific content from an external device rather than from the message beacon itself. - In some scenarios, the content in the message beacon may be encrypted such that the content is only accessible if decrypted. The decryption may be enabled by a beacon service provider and transmitted to the
wireless device 120 via secure communications. It may be possible, depending on the device manufacturer, that users may subscribe to one or more beacon services, which may have their own encryption policies and provisioning methodologies. Beacon- or vendor-specific encryption may also apply on the connection to the server, to preserve location or other data associated with the beacon service. - In some implementations, the
wireless device 120 is configured to receive a message beacon from themessage beacon device 110 and relay the message beacon to the external device via thebackhaul network 150. Once the message beacon is relayed, the external device (for example, a server or other suitable device) can perform certain tasks that facilitate access. For example, the external server may identify specific content associated with the particular message beacon that was received from themessage beacon device 110 and relayed by thewireless device 120. The external server may also determine whether to provide the identified content to thewireless device 120. In some implementations, the determination may be based on the preferences associated with a user of the wireless device, for example, an interest in certain types of messages (public service announcements, etc.) or certain types of content (promotional announcements, etc.), or a known affinity for certain message beacon sources (for example, if the message beacon is identified with a favorite vendor, etc.). Some users may indicate a preference for disregarding a large majority of the message beacons that are received, but others may wish to receive as much information as possible. In either case, the additional content may be selectively transmitted to thewireless device 120 by the external server. The transmission may occur via theaforementioned backhaul network 150, or may be completed via any other suitable means. -
FIG. 2 generally illustrates a priorart wireless device 200. The priorart wireless device 200 may interact with thewireless communications environment 100 ofFIG. 1 in the same manner as thewireless devices art wireless device 200 may communicate with themessage beacon device 110 and thebackhaul network 150. The messages that are communicated may include information related to various types of communication (e.g., voice, data, multimedia services, associated control signaling, etc.). - The prior
art wireless device 200 may be variously configured for transmitting and encoding signals (e.g., messages, indications, information, and so on), and, conversely, for receiving and decoding signals (e.g., messages, indications, information, pilots, and so on) in accordance with the first RAT, second RAT, and third RAT. The priorart wireless device 200 may also include acentral processor 210 for controlling operation of a first-RAT transceiver 231, a second-RAT transceiver 232, and a third-RAT transceiver 233 (e.g., directing, modifying, enabling, disabling, etc.). Thetransceivers central processor 210. The HLOS may be, for example, the Google Android operating system, Apple's iOS, or Microsoft's Windows Phone operating system. - The prior
art wireless device 200 may operate over a communication medium of interest, composed of one or more frequency, time, and/or space communication resources (e.g., encompassing one or more channels across one or more carriers) associated with communication between one or more transmitter/receiver pairs. In general, the priorart wireless device 200,message beacon device 110 andbackhaul network 150 may operate according to one or more RATs depending on the network in which they are deployed. These networks may include, for example, different variants of Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) networks, Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) networks, Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) networks, Orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA) networks, Single-Carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) networks, and so on. Although different licensed frequency bands have been reserved for such communications (e.g., by a government entity such as the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the United States), certain communication networks have extended operation into unlicensed frequency bands such as the Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure (U-NII) band used by Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) technologies, for example, IEEE 802.11 WLAN technologies generally referred to as “WiFi.” - As noted above, the prior
art wireless device 200 includes threetransceivers transceivers art wireless device 200. As used herein, a “transceiver” may include a transmitter circuit, a receiver circuit, or a combination thereof, but need not provide both transmit and receive functionalities in all designs. For example, a low functionality receiver circuit may be employed in some designs to reduce costs when providing full communication is not necessary (e.g., a WiFi chip or similar circuitry simply providing low-level sniffing). Further, as used herein, the term “co-located” (e.g., radios, access points, transceivers, etc.) may refer to one of various arrangements. For example, components that are in the same housing; components that are hosted by the same processor; components that are within a defined distance of one another; and/or components that are connected via an interface (e.g., USB, PCI express, an Ethernet switch) where the interface meets the latency requirements of any required inter-component communication (e.g., message). The first-RAT transceiver 231, second-RAT transceiver 232, and third-RAT transceiver may provide different functionalities and may be used for different purposes. - The prior
art wireless device 200 may receive a message beacon via any of a plurality oftransceivers transceivers central processor 210. Based on application or user preferences, thecentral processor 210 may notify the user of the priorart wireless device 200 that a message beacon has been received. As shown inFIG. 2 , the first-RAT transceiver 231 includes acentral processor connection 241 which communicates with thecentral processor 210 via afirst transceiver connection 211. The second-RAT transceiver 232 and third-RAT transceiver 233 each include analogouscentral processor connections central processor 210 via asecond transceiver connection 212 and athird transceiver connection 213, respectively. - The
central processor 210, operating in accordance with a high-level operating system (HLOS) stored on an associated memory component (not shown), selects one of the plurality oftransceivers backhaul network 150. Once a transceiver is selected, thecentral processor 210 sends the message beacon to the selected transceiver via one of thetransceiver connections central processor connections backhaul network 150 depicted inFIG. 1 ). - Although the prior
art wireless device 200 completes the task of relaying the message beacon, a problem arises when the priorart wireless device 200 receives increasing numbers of message beacons. In particular, thecentral processor 210 needs to process each message beacon by, for example, recognizing each received signal as a message beacon, selecting a transceiver for completing the relay, and sending the message beacon to the selected transceiver. In some cases, these tasks require the processor to operate in accordance with the HLOS and/or ‘wake up’ by, for example, shifting from a low-power mode to a high-power mode. As a result, the task of constantly relaying a large number of message beacons to an external device can significantly impact the performance of the priorart wireless device 200. Accordingly, new solutions are needed to improve message beacon processing. -
FIG. 3 generally illustrates awireless device 300 in accordance with an aspect of the disclosure. Thewireless device 300 may interact with thewireless communications environment 100 ofFIG. 1 in substantially the same manner as thewireless devices wireless device 300 may communicate with themessage beacon device 110 and thebackhaul network 150. The messages that are communicated may include information related to various types of communication (e.g., voice, data, multimedia services, associated control signaling, etc.). - Like the prior
art wireless device 200, thewireless device 300 may be variously configured for transmitting and encoding signals (e.g., messages, indications, information, and so on), and, conversely, for receiving and decoding signals (e.g., messages, indications, information, pilots, and so on). Thewireless device 300 may also include acentral processor 310 for controlling operation of afirst transceiver 331, asecond transceiver 332, and a third transceiver 333 (e.g., directing, modifying, enabling, disabling, etc.). Thetransceivers central processor 310. Thetransceivers - Like the prior
art wireless device 200, thewireless device 300 may operate over a communication medium of interest, composed of one or more frequency, time, and/or space communication resources (e.g., encompassing one or more channels across one or more carriers) associated with communication between one or more transmitter/receiver pairs. In general, thewireless device 300,message beacon device 110 andbackhaul network 150 may operate according to one or more RATs depending on the network in which they are deployed. These networks may include, for example, different variants of Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) networks, Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) networks, Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) networks, Orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA) networks, Single-Carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) networks, and so on. Although different licensed frequency bands have been reserved for such communications (e.g., by a government entity such as the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the United States), certain communication networks have extended operation into unlicensed frequency bands such as the Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure (U-NII) band used by Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) technologies, for example, IEEE 802.11 WLAN technologies generally referred to as “WiFi.” - Like the prior
art wireless device 200, thewireless device 300 includes threetransceivers transceivers wireless device 300.Transceivers first transceiver 331 may operate in accordance with Bluetooth technology, thesecond transceiver 332 may operate in accordance with WiFi technology, and thethird transceiver 333 may operate in accordance with Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology. Although only three transceivers are shown, it will be understood that thewireless device 300 may be equipped with any number of transceivers operating in accordance with any number of RATs. Although thetransceivers transceivers FIG. 2 , thetransceivers - In accordance with an aspect of the disclosure, the wireless device 300 (by contrast to the prior art wireless device 200) further includes a
connectivity engine 320. Theconnectivity engine 320 is configured to perform some of the tasks performed by thecentral processor 210 depicted inFIG. 2 , in particular, controlling operation oftransceivers connectivity engine 320 is also configured to select a particular transceiver for any given transmission. Like thecentral processor 310, theconnectivity engine 320 includes a processor and memory (not shown). However, because theconnectivity engine 320 is specially configured for controlling transceiver operations, it can therefore perform these tasks faster and/or more efficiently than thecentral processor 310. AlthoughFIG. 3 depicts theconnectivity engine 320 as being independent from thetransceivers transceivers connectivity engine 320 may reside on the transceiver and be implemented using the independent processor and memory. As another example, theconnectivity engine 320 may be driven by a hardware state machine. - The
connectivity engine 320 may identify a particular default transceiver for transmission, and may modify its selection on the basis of, for example, the transmission to be performed, the capabilities of each transceiver, the characteristics of the wireless device generally, and/or the characteristics of the surrounding wireless environment. As particular examples, theconnectivity engine 320 may select a particular transceiver on the basis of the type of signal or amount of data being transmitted, the urgency of the transmission, a quality of service requirement associated with the transmission, the type or quality of links available, the data rate associated with each particular RAT, a consumption cost associated with each particular RAT, an amount of resources available to the wireless device, a particular geographic zone in which the wireless device is located, the time of day, the coexistence impact of a particular transceiver (i.e., interference with other communications using other transceivers), etc. Theconnectivity engine 320 may also be configured to ascertain the characteristics of the surrounding wireless environment by, for example, controlling the transceivers to perform measurements and/or configured to follow control commands received from an external controller (access point, base station, etc.). - Because the
connectivity engine 320 is specially configured for controlling transceiver operations, it can perform these tasks faster and/or more efficiently than thecentral processor 310. When thewireless device 300 needs to perform these tasks, it can do so while thecentral processor 310 remains in a low-power mode, without requiring any operations to be performed in accordance with the HLOS. As a result, thewireless device 300 operates more efficiently than the priorart wireless device 200 depicted inFIG. 2 . - In accordance with an aspect of the disclosure, the wireless device 300 (by contrast to the prior art wireless device 200) further includes a multi-point messaging interface (MPMI) 350. The
connectivity engine 320 can use theMPMI 350 to communicate directly with thetransceivers transceivers MPMI nodes connectivity engine 320 is equipped with anMPMI node 354. Because theconnectivity engine 320 can communicate directly with thetransceivers MPMI 350, it can do so while thecentral processor 310 remains in a low-power mode, without requiring any operations to be performed by thecentral processor 310 in accordance with the HLOS. As will be discussed in greater detail below, theMPMI 350 also enables therespective transceivers central processor 310 when communicating with one another (without requiring thecentral processor 310 to perform any operations in accordance with the HLOS), thewireless device 300 operates more efficiently than the priorart wireless device 200 depicted inFIG. 2 . By bypassing thecentral processor 310 and avoiding operations in accordance with the HLOS, speed may be increased and resources may be conserved. - The MPMI node may include hardware similar to other bus interfaces, but may further include a configuration register in each MPMI node that configures its operation. Configuration may be done by, for example, the
central processor 310. The function of the MPMI node in each subsystem is to enable peer to peer communications between any other MPMI node, for the purpose of exchanging control plane messages amongst subsystems. A unique aspect of theMPMI 350 is that each MPMI node can operate in a master or slave mode. For example, in a master mode, any of the MPMI nodes 351-355 may gain control of the bus as a master to send data, while the others operate in a slave mode to receive data. The MPMI node configuration includes a priority setting that enables each MPMI node to determine its priority during the bus arbitration phase (i.e., determining which of the MPMI nodes 351-355 is to operate in a master mode). Once another of the MPMI nodes 351-355 gains control of the bus, the previous master MPMI node transitions to a slave mode. - In the scenario described herein, the
connectivity engine 320 may be given the highest priority in that its core function is to determine and enable the optimal routing from a transceiver at which a message beacon is received to a transceiver that is selected for backhaul transmission. Theconnectivity engine 320 may also determine the best backhaul connection to engage with Internet connectivity to receive messages or data relevant to the uploaded message beacon. - As depicted in
FIG. 3 , theMPMI 350 also connects to thecentral processor 310. TheMPMI 350 may connect via MPMI node 355. As noted above, thecentral processor 310 can be bypassed when higher-level processing is unnecessary. However, it will be understood that when one or more tasks does involve higher-level processing, theMPMI 350 can be used for communications between thecentral processor 310 and one or more of theconnectivity engine 320 and/ortransceivers central processor 310 may be bypassed relaying a received message beacon to an Internet backhaul, but the return signal from the Internet may be sent directly to thecentral processor 310. Thecentral processor 310 may configure (via, for example, the MPMI 350) theconnectivity engine 320 to perform different actions on subsequent message beacons (changing the default backhaul transceiver etc.). -
FIG. 4 illustrates examples of wireless devices in accordance with various aspects of the disclosure. Referring toFIG. 4 ,wireless device 400A is illustrated as a calling telephone andwireless device 400B is illustrated as a touchscreen device (e.g., a smart phone, a tablet computer, etc.). As shown inFIG. 4 , an external casing ofwireless device 400A is configured with anantenna 405A,display 410A, at least onebutton 415A (e.g., a PTT button, a power button, a volume control button, etc.) and akeypad 420A among other components, as is known in the art. Also, an external casing ofwireless device 400B is configured with atouchscreen display 405B,peripheral buttons panel button 430B (e.g., a Home button, etc.), among other components, as is known in the art. Each ofwireless device 400A andwireless device 400B includes one or more user interface components through which a user of thewireless device 400A orwireless device 400B interacts with the device, for example,button 415A,touchscreen display 405B, etc. The user of thewireless device 400A orwireless device 400B can provide input or instructions to the device via one or more of the user interface components, and the device can provide output or notifications to the user via one or more of the user interface components. While not shown explicitly as part ofwireless device 400B, thewireless device 400B can include one or more external antennas and/or one or more integrated antennas that are built into the external casing ofwireless device 400B, including but not limited to Wi-Fi antennas, cellular antennas, satellite position system (SPS) antennas (e.g., global positioning system (GPS) antennas), and so on. - While internal components of wireless devices such as the
wireless devices platform 402 inFIG. 4 . Theplatform 402 can receive and execute software applications, data and/or commands transmitted from a radio access network, internet, and/or remote servers and networks. Theplatform 402 can also independently execute locally stored applications without RAN interaction. Theplatform 402 can include atransceiver 406 operably coupled to an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) 408, or other processor, microprocessor, logic circuit, or other data processing device. TheASIC 408 or other processor executes the application programming interface (API) 410 layer that interfaces with any resident programs in thememory 412 of the wireless device. Thememory 412 can be comprised of read-only or random-access memory (RAM and ROM), EEPROM, flash cards, or any memory common to computer platforms. Theplatform 402 also can include alocal database 414 that can store applications not actively used inmemory 412, as well as other data. Thelocal database 414 is typically a flash memory cell, but can be any secondary storage device as known in the art, such as magnetic media, EEPROM, optical media, tape, soft or hard disk, or the like. - Accordingly, an embodiment of the invention can include a wireless device (e.g.,
wireless device ASIC 408,memory 412,API 410 andlocal database 414 may all be used cooperatively to load, store and execute the various functions disclosed herein and thus the logic to perform these functions may be distributed over various elements. Alternatively, the functionality could be incorporated into one discrete component. Therefore, the features of thewireless devices FIG. 4 are to be considered merely illustrative and the invention is not limited to the illustrated features or arrangement. - The wireless communication between the
wireless devices 400A and/or 400B and other devices can be based on different technologies, such as CDMA, W-CDMA, time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), GSM, or other protocols that may be used in a wireless communications network or a data communications network. As discussed in the foregoing and known in the art, voice transmission and/or data can be transmitted to the wireless devices from the radio access network using a variety of networks and configurations. Accordingly, the illustrations provided herein are not intended to limit the embodiments of the invention and are merely to aid in the description of aspects of embodiments of the invention. -
FIG. 5 illustrates acommunication device 500 that includes logic configured to perform functionality. Thecommunication device 500 can correspond to any of the above-noted communication devices, including but not limited tomessage beacon device 110,wireless devices wireless device 300,wireless devices - Referring to
FIG. 5 , thecommunication device 500 includes logic configured to receive and/or transmitinformation 505. In an example, if thecommunication device 500 corresponds to a wireless communications device, the logic configured to receive and/or transmitinformation 505 can include a wireless communications interface (e.g., Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 2G, CDMA, W-CDMA, 4G, 5G, LTE, etc.) such as a wireless transceiver and associated hardware (e.g., an RF antenna, a MODEM, a modulator and/or demodulator, etc.). In another example, the logic configured to receive and/or transmitinformation 505 can correspond to a wired communications interface (e.g., a serial connection, a USB or Firewire connection, an Ethernet connection through which the internet can be accessed, etc.). Thus, if thecommunication device 500 corresponds to some type of network-based server (e.g., PDSN, SGSN, GGSN, S-GW, P-GW, MME, HSS, PCRF, etc.), the logic configured to receive and/or transmitinformation 505 can correspond to an Ethernet card, in an example, that connects the network-based server to other communication entities via an Ethernet protocol. In a further example, the logic configured to receive and/or transmitinformation 505 can include sensory or measurement hardware by which thecommunication device 500 can monitor its local environment (e.g., an accelerometer, a temperature sensor, a light sensor, an antenna for monitoring local RF signals, etc.). The logic configured to receive and/or transmitinformation 505 can also include software that, when executed, permits the associated hardware of the logic configured to receive and/or transmitinformation 505 to perform its reception and/or transmission function(s). However, the logic configured to receive and/or transmitinformation 505 does not correspond to software alone, and the logic configured to receive and/or transmitinformation 505 relies at least in part upon hardware to achieve its functionality. - Referring to
FIG. 5 , thecommunication device 500 further includes logic configured to processinformation 510. In an example, the logic configured to processinformation 510 can include at least a processor. Example implementations of the type of processing that can be performed by the logic configured to processinformation 510 includes but is not limited to performing determinations, establishing connections, making selections between different information options, performing evaluations related to data, interacting with sensors coupled to thecommunication device 500 to perform measurement operations, converting information from one format to another (e.g., between different protocols such as .wmv to .avi, etc.), and so on. For example, the processor included in the logic configured to processinformation 510 can correspond to a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an ASIC, a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration. The logic configured to processinformation 510 can also include software that, when executed, permits the associated hardware of the logic configured to processinformation 510 to perform its processing function(s). However, the logic configured to processinformation 510 does not correspond to software alone, and the logic configured to processinformation 510 relies at least in part upon hardware to achieve its functionality. - Referring to
FIG. 5 , thecommunication device 500 further includes logic configured to storeinformation 515. In an example, the logic configured to storeinformation 515 can include at least a non-transitory memory and associated hardware (e.g., a memory controller, etc.). For example, the non-transitory memory included in the logic configured to storeinformation 515 can correspond to RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. The logic configured to storeinformation 515 can also include software that, when executed, permits the associated hardware of the logic configured to storeinformation 515 to perform its storage function(s). However, the logic configured to storeinformation 515 does not correspond to software alone, and the logic configured to storeinformation 515 relies at least in part upon hardware to achieve its functionality. - Referring to
FIG. 5 , thecommunication device 500 further optionally includes logic configured to presentinformation 520. In an example, the logic configured to presentinformation 520 can include at least an output device and associated hardware. For example, the output device can include a video output device (e.g., a display screen, a port that can carry video information such as USB, HDMI, etc.), an audio output device (e.g., speakers, a port that can carry audio information such as a microphone jack, USB, HDMI, etc.), a vibration device and/or any other device by which information can be formatted for output or actually outputted by a user or operator of thecommunication device 500. For example, if thecommunication device 500 corresponds towireless device 400A orwireless device 400B as shown inFIG. 4 , the logic configured to presentinformation 520 can include thedisplay 410A ofwireless device 400A or thetouchscreen display 405B ofwireless device 400B. In a further example, the logic configured to presentinformation 520 can be omitted for certain communication devices, such as network communication devices that do not have a local user (e.g., network switches or routers, remote servers, etc.). The logic configured to presentinformation 520 can also include software that, when executed, permits the associated hardware of the logic configured to presentinformation 520 to perform its presentation function(s). However, the logic configured to presentinformation 520 does not correspond to software alone, and the logic configured to presentinformation 520 relies at least in part upon hardware to achieve its functionality. - Referring to
FIG. 5 , thecommunication device 500 further optionally includes logic configured to receivelocal user input 525. In an example, the logic configured to receivelocal user input 525 can include at least a user input device and associated hardware. For example, the user input device can include buttons, a touchscreen display, a keyboard, a camera, an audio input device (e.g., a microphone or a port that can carry audio information such as a microphone jack, etc.), and/or any other device by which information can be received from a user or operator of thecommunication device 500. For example, if thecommunication device 500 corresponds towireless device 400A orwireless device 400B as shown inFIG. 4 , the logic configured to receivelocal user input 525 can include thekeypad 420A, any of thebuttons touchscreen display 405B, etc. In a further example, the logic configured to receivelocal user input 525 can be omitted for certain communication devices, such as network communication devices that do not have a local user (e.g., network switches or routers, remote servers, etc.). The logic configured to receivelocal user input 525 can also include software that, when executed, permits the associated hardware of the logic configured to receivelocal user input 525 to perform its input reception function(s). However, the logic configured to receivelocal user input 525 does not correspond to software alone, and the logic configured to receivelocal user input 525 relies at least in part upon hardware to achieve its functionality. - Referring to
FIG. 5 , while the configured logics of 505 through 525 are shown as separate or distinct blocks inFIG. 5 , it will be appreciated that the hardware and/or software by which the respective configured logic performs its functionality can overlap in part. For example, any software used to facilitate the functionality of the configured logics of 505 through 525 can be stored in the non-transitory memory associated with the logic configured to storeinformation 515, such that the configured logics of 505 through 525 each performs their functionality (i.e., in this case, software execution) based in part upon the operation of software stored by the logic configured to storeinformation 515. Likewise, hardware that is directly associated with one of the configured logics can be borrowed or used by other configured logics from time to time. For example, the processor of the logic configured to processinformation 510 can format data into an appropriate format before being transmitted by the logic configured to receive and/or transmitinformation 505, such that the logic configured to receive and/or transmitinformation 505 performs its functionality (i.e., in this case, transmission of data) based in part upon the operation of hardware (i.e., the processor) associated with the logic configured to processinformation 510. - Generally, unless stated otherwise explicitly, the phrase “logic configured to” as used throughout this disclosure is intended to invoke an embodiment that is at least partially implemented with hardware, and is not intended to map to software-only implementations that are independent of hardware. Also, it will be appreciated that the configured logic or “logic configured to” in the various blocks are not limited to specific logic gates or elements, but generally refer to the ability to perform the functionality described herein (either via hardware or a combination of hardware and software). Thus, the configured logics or “logic configured to” as illustrated in the various blocks are not necessarily implemented as logic gates or logic elements despite sharing the word “logic.” Other interactions or cooperation between the logic in the various blocks will become clear to one of ordinary skill in the art from a review of the embodiments described below in more detail.
-
FIG. 6 generally illustrates amethod 600 for processing a message beacon in accordance with an aspect of the disclosure. Themethod 600 may be performed by, for example, thewireless device 300 ofFIG. 3 , thewireless device 400A orwireless device 400B ofFIG. 4 , or thecommunication device 500 ofFIG. 5 . For the purposes of illustration, themethod 600 will be described in further detail as it would be performed by thewireless device 300 ofFIG. 3 . - At 610, the
wireless device 300 receives a signal at a first transceiver associated with a first RAT. In one possible implementation, the first transceiver is a Bluetooth transceiver that receives signals in accordance with a Bluetooth or Bluetooth Low Energy (BTLE) protocol (sometimes referred to as “Bluetooth Smart”). Because (in this implementation) thewireless device 300 is configured to operate in accordance with the BTLE protocol (and, in this example, proximate to the message beacon device 110), thewireless device 300 will receive the message beacon. - The signal reception at 610 may be performed by the radio frequency circuitry (antenna, etc.) included in the
first transceiver 331. In some implementations, thefirst transceiver 331 may include a processor and associated memory component (independent from thecentral processor 310 and associated memory component) that are configured to perform some of the functions necessary to receive signals. - At 620, the
wireless device 300 determines whether the signal received at 610 is a message beacon signal. Thewireless device 300 will then determine based on, for example, a beacon identifier field of the received signal, that the signal received at 610 is a message beacon. - As noted above, any of the
transceivers transceivers wireless device 300 can distinguish message beacons from other types of received signals while thecentral processor 310 remains in a low-power mode, without requiring any operations to be performed in accordance with the HLOS. As a result, thewireless device 300 operates more efficiently than the priorart wireless device 200 depicted inFIG. 2 . - At 630, the
wireless device 300 selects a second transceiver associated with a second RAT for message beacon backhaul transmission based on policy criteria. In particular, theconnectivity engine 320 selects a particular transceiver from among a plurality of transceivers associated with thewireless device 300. In one possible implementation, theconnectivity engine 320 selects a particular transceiver for all transmissions generally, or for all message beacon backhaul transmissions in particular (in view of respective capabilities of the plurality of transceivers, the characteristics of the wireless device, the characteristics of a surrounding wireless environment, etc.). For example, theconnectivity engine 320 may determine that a particular transceiver lacks basic backhaul connectivity, as in a case where a WiFi transceiver lacks connectivity because there is no access point available, or because the access point requires a user log-in which has not been entered. As a result, theconnectivity engine 320 may divert the message beacon to an LTE transceiver. In yet another possible implementation, theconnectivity engine 320 selects a particular transceiver based on some particular characteristic of the message beacon received at 610 (for example, the transceiver that received the message beacon, a preferred transceiver indicated by the message beacon data itself, etc.). - Although the
selection 630 is depicted inFIG. 3 as being performed after the determination of 620, it will be understood that theselection 630 may also be performed prior to the determination of 620 and/or prior to the reception of 610. - As noted above, the
connectivity engine 320 is specially configured for controlling transceiver operations, and can perform theselection 630 faster and/or more efficiently than thecentral processor 310. When thewireless device 300 needs to perform these tasks, theconnectivity engine 320 can do so while thecentral processor 310 remains in a low-power mode, without requiring any operations to be performed in accordance with the HLOS. As a result, thewireless device 300 operates more efficiently than the priorart wireless device 200 depicted inFIG. 2 . - At 640, the
wireless device 300 directs the signal received at 610 by diverting the received signal to the transceiver selected at 630. The diverting at 640 is responsive to the determination (at 620) that the received signal is a message beacon signal. The diverting may be performed using theMPMI 350. - In one possible implementation, a WLAN transceiver is selected (at 630) from among a plurality of transceivers (a WWAN transceiver, a Bluetooth transceiver, etc.). After the WLAN transceiver is selected, the wireless device diverts the message beacon to the WLAN transceiver. As noted above, the
MPMI 350 enables therespective transceivers art wireless device 200, by contrast, would simply forward the received signal (regardless of whether it was a message beacon or not) to thecentral processor 210. Because thetransceivers central processor 310 when communicating with one another (without requiring thecentral processor 310 to perform any operations in accordance with the HLOS), thewireless device 300 operates more efficiently than the priorart wireless device 200 depicted inFIG. 2 . - At 650, the
wireless device 300 transmits a message beacon backhaul transmission to an external device using the selected transceiver (of 630). In one possible implementation, a BTLE transceiver at which a message beacon is received at 610 diverts the message beacon (at 640) to a WLAN transceiver. The WLAN transceiver then transmits the message beacon to the external device (for example, an external server for processing message beacons) at 650. - As can be understood from the foregoing, the
method 600 enables thewireless device 300 to process message beacons without any involvement of thecentral processor 310. Because the wireless device can bypass thecentral processor 310 when processing message beacons (without requiring thecentral processor 310 to perform any operations in accordance with the HLOS), thewireless device 300 operates more efficiently than the priorart wireless device 200 depicted inFIG. 2 . -
FIG. 7 generally illustrates amethod 700 for processing received signals performed by a first transceiver, for example, any of thetransceivers method 700 will be described in further detail as it would be performed by thefirst transceiver 331 depicted inFIG. 3 . Themethod 700 may be performed by particular components of thefirst transceiver 331, an independent processor and memory associated with thefirst transceiver 331, hardware associated with thefirst transceiver 331, and/or a configurable state machine associated with thefirst transceiver 331. In some scenarios, thefirst transceiver 331 further includes hardware that is configured for processing of a specific beacon format. For example, if thefirst transceiver 331 is a Bluetooth transceiver, then the hardware may be configured to perform Bluetooth protocol decoding. - At 705, the
first transceiver 331 determines whether a signal has been received. Themethod 700 continuously loops back to thedetermination 705 until a signal has been received, at which point themethod 700 proceeds to 710. It will be understood that the first transceiver 331 (or a combination of a processor and memory component residing therein) may be configured to perform signal reception in accordance with known methods. - At 710, the
first transceiver 331 determines whether the signal received at 705 is a message beacon. As noted above, the first transceiver 331 (or a combination of a processor and memory residing therein) may determine whether the received signal is a message beacon in accordance with any suitable method. Moreover, thefirst transceiver 331 performs thedetermination 710 independently without requiring thecentral processor 310 to perform any operations. In particular, thefirst transceiver 331 may, for example, read a message beacon identifier field of the received signal and determine, based on the content or existence of the message beacon identifier field, that the received signal is a message beacon. Although the data structure of a message beacon may vary in accordance with different RATs, it will be understood that a message beacon identifier field may comprise a bit or series of bits that identifies the received signal as a message beacon generally and/or identifies the received signal as a particular message beacon having a unique message beacon identification code. - If the
first transceiver 331 determines that the received signal is not a message beacon, then themethod 700 proceeds to 715, where the received signal is forwarded to thecentral processor 310. After the received signal is forwarded to thecentral processor 310 at 715, themethod 700 ends, or alternatively, loops back to 705 (not shown). - On the other hand, if the
first transceiver 331 determines that the received signal is a message beacon, then the method proceed to 720. At 720, thefirst transceiver 331 sends a message beacon receipt signal to a connectivity engine, for example,connectivity engine 320. As noted above, the message beacon receipt signal may be sent to theconnectivity engine 320 via (for example) theMPMI 350 without requiring thecentral processor 310 to perform any operations. - As noted above, the
connectivity engine 320 may be implemented using, for example, a processor and memory component (not shown) that are independent from thecentral processor 310 of thewireless device 300. For example, the independent processor and memory component of theconnectivity engine 320 may not perform operations in accordance with the HLOS. As shown inFIG. 3 , thefirst transceiver 331 includes anMPMI node 351 and can communicate directly with theconnectivity engine 320 via theMPMI node 354 of theMPMI 350. Accordingly, the message beacon receipt sent at 720 may be sent directly from thefirst transceiver 331 to theconnectivity engine 320 without requiring thecentral processor 310 to perform any operations in accordance with the HLOS. - At 725, the
first transceiver 331 waits for a transceiver selection signal, for example, a transceiver selection signal from theconnectivity engine 320. As will be discussed in greater detail below (FIG. 8 ), theconnectivity engine 320 will reply to a message beacon receipt signal by sending a transceiver selection signal. As shown inFIG. 3 , theconnectivity engine 320 includes anMPMI node 354 and can communicate directly with thefirst transceiver 331 via theMPMI 350. Accordingly, the transceiver selection signal received at 725 may be received directly from theconnectivity engine 320 without requiring thecentral processor 310 to perform any operations in accordance with the HLOS. Once the transceiver selection signal is received, themethod 700 proceeds to 730. - In some scenarios, the
connectivity engine 320 is implemented using the same components as the transceiver that received the message beacon (for example, the first transceiver 331). It will be understood that in these scenarios, it will be unnecessary to send the message beacon to theconnectivity engine 320 using the MPMI 350 (as in 720), and it will also be unnecessary to wait to receive a transceiver selection signal from the connectivity engine (as in 725). Accordingly, the sending at 720 and receiving at 725 (both performed using the MPMI 350) may be omitted if theconnectivity engine 320 andfirst transceiver 331 are implemented using the same component. - At 730, the
first transceiver 331 identifies the selected transceiver based on the transceiver selection signal received at 725, which may include an indication of the selected transceiver. The identity of the selected transceiver may be, for example, encoded in the transceiver selection signal received at 725. - At 735, the
first transceiver 331 diverts the signal received at 705 (which has been determined to be a message beacon at 710) to the transceiver identified at 730. As shown inFIG. 3 , thefirst transceiver 331 includes anMPMI node 351 and can communicate directly with theother transceivers respective MPMI nodes MPMI 350. Accordingly, the diverted message beacon sent at 730 may be sent directly from thefirst transceiver 331 to the selected transceiver without requiring thecentral processor 310 to perform any operations in accordance with the HLOS. - In some scenarios, the transceiver selected for backhaul transmission will be the same as the transceiver that has received the message beacon. It will be understood that in these scenarios, the
diversion 735 will be omitted, since the message beacon is already available to the transceiver selected for backhaul transmission. -
FIG. 8 generally illustrates amethod 800 for processing received signals performed by a connectivity engine such as, for example, theconnectivity engine 320 depicted inFIG. 3 . - At 805, the 320 determines whether a message beacon receipt has been received. The message beacon receipt signal received at 805 may be analogous to the message beacon receipt signal sent at 720 by the
first transceiver 331. As shown inFIG. 3 , theconnectivity engine 320 includes anMPMI node 354 and can communicate directly with thetransceivers MPMI 350. Accordingly, the message beacon receipt received at 805 may be received directly from a transceiver without requiring thecentral processor 310 to perform any operations in accordance with the HLOS. It will be understood that theconnectivity engine 320 may simultaneously monitor each of thetransceivers method 800 continuously loops back to thedetermination 805 until a message beacon receipt has been received, at which point themethod 800 proceeds to 810. - At 810, the
connectivity engine 320 selects a transceiver from among the plurality oftransceivers connectivity engine 320 is specially configured for controlling transceiver operations, and can perform theselection 810 faster and/or more efficiently than thecentral processor 310. When thewireless device 300 needs to perform these tasks, theconnectivity engine 320 can do so while thecentral processor 310 remains in a low-power mode, without requiring any operations to be performed in accordance with the HLOS. As a result, themethod 800 enables thewireless device 300 to operate more efficiently than the priorart wireless device 200 depicted inFIG. 2 . - At 815, the
connectivity engine 320 send a transceiver selection signal to the transceiver from which the message beacon receipt was received. The transceiver selection signal sent at 815 may be analogous to the transceiver selection signal received at 725 by thefirst transceiver 331. In particular, the transceiver selection signal identifies a particular transceiver selected to perform the transmission of a message beacon backhaul transmission associated with a received message beacon. As shown inFIG. 3 , theconnectivity engine 320 includes anMPMI node 354 and can communicate directly with thetransceivers MPMI 350. Accordingly, the transceiver selection signal sent at 815 may be sent directly to a transceiver without requiring thecentral processor 310 to perform any operations in accordance with the HLOS. - The transceiver selection signal sent at 815 may be sent via the
MPMI 350 to the transceiver from which the message beacon receipt was received at 805. The transceiver selection signal sent at 815 may also be sent to the selected transceiver, for example, to notify the selected transceiver that it has been selected to receive a diverted message beacon signal via theMPMI 350 and/or command the selected transceiver to perform a message beacon backhaul transmission (via for example, thebackhaul network 150 depicted inFIG. 1 ). - As shown in
FIG. 3 , theMPMI 350 may include a common interface that interconnects theconnectivity engine 320 and each of thetransceivers MPMI 350 in accordance with the present disclosure (at 720, 725, 735, 805, 815, etc.) may be broadcast to every user of theMPMI 350. The signals communicated via theMPMI 350 may therefore include, in addition to the signal data itself, an indication of the intended recipient (or recipients) of the signal data. It will be understood, however, that other implementations of theMPMI 350 are possible and that the present disclosure is not limited to the common-interface arrangement depicted inFIG. 3 . Additionally or alternatively, theMPMI 350 may provide dedicated connections between theconnectivity engine 320 and each of thetransceivers - As shown in
FIG. 3 , theconnectivity engine 320 may be implemented independently from thecentral processor 310. For example, theconnectivity engine 320 may be equipped with an independent processor and memory (not shown) such that themethod 800 can be performed without any operations of thecentral processor 310. However, in another possible implementation, theconnectivity engine 320 resides within one of thetransceivers method 800 is performed by the processor and memory associated with the transceiver. As a result, themethod 700 andmethod 800 may be implemented using a single processor operating in tandem with a single memory. - In an implementation where the
method 700 andmethod 800 are performed using a single processor operating in tandem with a single memory, the sending and receiving of signals via the MPMI 350 (at 720, 725, 735, 805, 815, etc.) may constitute ‘sending’ and ‘receiving’ only in a conceptual sense. For example, data generated when performing themethod 700 may be stored in the shared memory for later usage when the shared processor performs themethod 800. - Those of skill in the art will appreciate that information and signals may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referenced throughout the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.
- Further, those of skill in the art will appreciate that the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present invention.
- The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented or performed with a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.
- The methods, sequences and/or algorithms described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. A software module may reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor such that the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium may be integral to the processor. The processor and the storage medium may reside in an ASIC. The ASIC may reside in a user terminal (e.g., wireless device). In the alternative, the processor and the storage medium may reside as discrete components in a user terminal.
- In one or more exemplary embodiments, the functions described may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functions may be stored on or transmitted over as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes both computer storage media and communication media including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. A storage media may be any available media that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable media can comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer. Also, any connection is properly termed a computer-readable medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of medium. Disk and disc, as used herein, includes compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk and blu-ray disc where disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.
- While the foregoing disclosure shows illustrative embodiments of the invention, it should be noted that various changes and modifications could be made herein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. The functions, steps and/or actions of the method claims in accordance with the embodiments of the invention described herein need not be performed in any particular order. Furthermore, although elements of the invention may be described or claimed in the singular, the plural is contemplated unless limitation to the singular is explicitly stated.
Claims (30)
1. A wireless device, comprising:
a first transceiver associated with a first radio access technology (RAT);
a second transceiver associated with a second RAT, wherein the second transceiver is configured to transmit a message beacon backhaul transmission to an external device; and
a connectivity engine configured to select the second transceiver for message beacon backhaul transmission based on policy criteria; wherein
the first transceiver is configured to:
receive a signal;
determine whether the received signal is a message beacon signal; and
direct the received signal by diverting the received signal to the selected transceiver in response to a determination that the received signal is a message beacon signal.
2. The wireless device of claim 1 , wherein the first transceiver is configured to determine whether the received signal is a message beacon signal by determining whether the received signal includes a message beacon identifier.
3. The wireless device of claim 2 , wherein the first transceiver is a Bluetooth transceiver associated with a Bluetooth RAT, and is further configured to:
receive a Bluetooth signal; and
determine whether the received Bluetooth signal includes a Bluetooth message beacon identifier.
4. The wireless device of claim 1 , further comprising a central processor configured to operate in accordance with a high-level operating system;
wherein the first transceiver is further configured to direct the received signal by forwarding the received signal to a central processor in response to a determination that the signal is not a message beacon signal.
5. The wireless device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a central processor configured to operate in accordance with a high-level operating system; and
a multi-point message interface (MPMI) configured to directly couple the first transceiver, the second transceiver, and the connectivity engine;
wherein the first transceiver is further configured to divert the received signal to the selected transceiver via the MPMI while bypassing the central processor and avoiding operations in accordance with the high-level operating system.
6. The wireless device of claim 1 , wherein the first transceiver is further configured to send a message beacon receipt signal to the connectivity engine via a multi-point message interface (MPMI) in response to a determination that the received signal is a message beacon signal.
7. The wireless device of claim 6 , wherein the connectivity engine is further configured to:
receive the message beacon receipt via the MPMI; and
send a transceiver selection signal to the first transceiver via the MPMI in response to the receiving of the message beacon receipt and the selecting of the second transceiver, wherein the transceiver selection signal includes an indication of the selected transceiver.
8. The wireless device of claim 7 , wherein the first transceiver is further configured to:
receive the transceiver selection signal via the MPMI;
identify the selected transceiver based on the indication of the selected transceiver included in the received transceiver selection signal; and
send the message beacon signal to the selected transceiver indicated in the transceiver selection signal via the MPMI.
9. The wireless device of claim 1 , wherein the connectivity engine is further configured to select the second transceiver based on one or more of:
respective capabilities of a plurality of transceivers associated with the wireless device;
characteristics of the wireless device; and
characteristics of a surrounding wireless environment.
10. The wireless device of claim 9 , wherein the connectivity engine is further configured to perform the selecting without requiring a central processor to perform operations in accordance with a high-level operating system.
11. A method for processing a message beacon, comprising:
receiving a signal at a first transceiver associated with a first radio access technology (RAT);
determining whether the received signal is a message beacon signal;
selecting a second transceiver associated with a second RAT for message beacon backhaul transmission based on policy criteria;
directing the received signal by diverting the received signal to the selected transceiver in response to a determination that the received signal is a message beacon signal; and
transmitting a message beacon backhaul transmission to an external device using the selected transceiver.
12. The method of claim 11 , wherein determining whether the received signal is a message beacon signal comprises determining whether the received signal includes a message beacon identifier.
13. The method of claim 12 , wherein:
receiving the signal at a first transceiver comprises receiving the signal at a Bluetooth transceiver; and
determining whether the received signal includes a message beacon identifier comprises determining whether the received signal include a Bluetooth message beacon identifier.
14. The method of claim 11 , wherein directing the received signal further comprises forwarding the received signal to a central processor in response to a determination that the signal is not a message beacon signal.
15. The method of claim 11 , wherein diverting the received signal to the selected transceiver comprises bypassing a central processor and avoiding operations of the central processor in accordance with a high-level operating system by sending the received signal to the selected transceiver via a multi-point message interface (MPMI).
16. The method of claim 11 , further comprising sending a message beacon receipt signal from the first transceiver to a connectivity engine via a multi-point message interface (MPMI) in response to a determination that the received signal is a message beacon signal.
17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:
receiving the message beacon receipt at the connectivity engine via the MPMI; and
sending a transceiver selection signal from the connectivity engine to the first transceiver via the MPMI in response to the receiving of the message beacon receipt and the selecting of the second transceiver, wherein the transceiver selection signal includes an indication of the selected transceiver.
18. The method of claim 17 , wherein diverting the received signal to the selected transceiver comprises:
receiving the transceiver selection signal at the first transceiver via the MPMI;
identifying the selected transceiver based on the indication of the selected transceiver included in the received transceiver selection signal; and
sending the message beacon signal to the selected transceiver indicated in the transceiver selection signal via the MPMI.
19. The method of claim 11 , wherein selecting the second transceiver based on policy criteria comprises selecting the second transceiver based on one or more of:
respective capabilities of a plurality of transceivers associated with a wireless device;
characteristics of the wireless device; and
characteristics of a surrounding wireless environment.
20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the selecting is performed by a connectivity engine without requiring a central processor to perform operations in accordance with a high-level operating system.
21. An apparatus for improving processing of message beacons, comprising:
means for receiving a signal associated with a first radio access technology (RAT);
means for determining whether the received signal is a message beacon signal;
means for selecting a second RAT for message beacon backhaul transmission based on policy criteria;
means for directing the received signal by diverting the received signal to the selected transceiver in response to a determination that the received signal is a message beacon signal; and
means for transmitting a message beacon backhaul transmission to an external device using the selected RAT.
22. The apparatus of claim 21 , wherein means for determining whether the received signal is a message beacon signal comprises means for determining whether the received signal includes a message beacon identifier.
23. The apparatus of claim 21 , wherein means for directing the received signal further comprises means for forwarding the received signal to a central processor in response to a determination that the signal is not a message beacon signal.
24. The apparatus of claim 21 , further comprising:
means for bypassing a central processor; and
means for avoiding operations of the central processor in accordance with a high-level operating system.
25. The apparatus of claim 21 , wherein means for selecting the second transceiver based on policy criteria comprises means for selecting the second transceiver based on one or more of:
respective capabilities of a plurality of transceivers associated with a wireless device;
characteristics of the wireless device; and
characteristics of a surrounding wireless environment.
26. A computer-readable medium comprising code, which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform operations for improving processing of message beacons, the non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising:
code for receiving a signal associated with a first radio access technology (RAT);
code for determining whether the received signal is a message beacon signal;
code for selecting a second RAT for message beacon backhaul transmission based on policy criteria;
code for directing the received signal by diverting the received signal to the selected transceiver in response to a determination that the received signal is a message beacon signal; and
code for transmitting a message beacon backhaul transmission to an external device using the selected RAT.
27. The apparatus of claim 26 , wherein code for determining whether the received signal is a message beacon signal comprises code for determining whether the received signal includes a message beacon identifier.
28. The apparatus of claim 26 , wherein code for directing the received signal further comprises code for forwarding the received signal to a central processor in response to a determination that the signal is not a message beacon signal.
29. The apparatus of claim 26 , further comprising:
code for bypassing a central processor; and
code for avoiding operations of the central processor in accordance with a high-level operating system.
30. The apparatus of claim 26 , wherein code for selecting the second transceiver based on policy criteria comprises code for selecting the second transceiver based on one or more of:
respective capabilities of a plurality of transceivers associated with a wireless device;
characteristics of the wireless device; and
characteristics of a surrounding wireless environment.
Priority Applications (3)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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US14/788,007 US20170006438A1 (en) | 2015-06-30 | 2015-06-30 | Processing of message beacons in a wireless device |
CN201680037888.3A CN107736041A (en) | 2015-06-30 | 2016-05-25 | Message beacon processing in wireless device |
PCT/US2016/034127 WO2017003596A1 (en) | 2015-06-30 | 2016-05-25 | Processing of message beacons in a wireless device |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
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US20190188999A1 (en) * | 2016-05-19 | 2019-06-20 | Nippon Telegraph And Telephone Corporation | Sensor relay apparatus and sensor relay system |
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WO2017003596A1 (en) | 2017-01-05 |
CN107736041A (en) | 2018-02-23 |
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